Merchant Venturer

The Merchant Venturer was a named train of British Railways. It ran over eleven Summer seasons from 3 May 1951 to 9 September 1961. Together with The William Shakespeare, this began as one of two excursions from London on the Western Region, as part of the Festival of Britain. Both of them ran from London and were intended for a short trip out from the capital, to some of the cultural highlights that were the focuses of the Festival. For The Merchant Venturer this was to Bristol and beyond to Weston-super-Mare. The William Shakespeare ran to Stratford-upon-Avon. Both of them used carriages in the new carmine and cream livery of British Railways. In December 2009, First Great Western resurrected the name for a London Paddington to Penzance via Bristol service.