Antique L&Y Railway Co. Bury Branch Orphanage Fund Wooden Collection Box

A rare survivor of both railway and social history – this late Victorian to Edwardian wooden collection box was used by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Co. (L&Y Railway) Bury Branch to raise money for the company’s Orphanage Fund. The box is hand painted in white gothic script on black, reading “Bury Branch L&Y Railway Co. Orphanage Fund.” Constructed in wood, it has a slot to the top for coins and a hinged rear panel with its original clasp. These boxes would have been placed in stations, offices, or public areas to collect donations.

Funds raised went to support the Railway Servants’ Orphanage (founded in 1875 at Derby), which cared for children of railway workers who had died, often through accidents in the dangerous railway industry. This makes the box not just a piece of railwayana but a poignant reminder of the social welfare and community spirit within Britain’s railways.