The Elgin Railway Market ~ Fabulous Food & Wine
& Irresistibly Beautiful Old French Design styles.
The last time that I have felt such sheer love and adoration for the design and design elements of a building, was in Paris, Brussels and New York! I could often be found gape-mouthed ogling at spectacular designs and buildings such as the Chrysler building and the station buildings in central Paris.
Roger Orpen, the owner and creative mind behind the Elgin Railway Market building is so refreshingly unprecious and down to earth that it just inspires greater adoration! He bought this old structure and transformed it into an absolute masterpiece. It was built in the 1940s by Italian prisoners of war and it was filled with old tractors and apple crates.
Now, this gorgeous building whispers and murmurs in French and it speaks lovingly and alluringly of its origins in Art Deco and Art Nouveau. “Tu es Magnifique et Je t’adore”!
Roger unpretentiously tells that he did his design research on Google and Pinterest and together with his grand vision he masterfully reinstated design values to prior modernist “form before function” glory. It is a magnificent, beautiful and functional masterpiece!
The deservedly proud owner is often found enjoying some late afternoon sunshine as that steamy 80-year-old dame from the Ceres Rail Company, Jessica, impressively puffs and struts her steam and stuff along the tracks. If you want to experience the old school magic of a steam-train trip, you need to book. Most Saturday trains are fully booked well in advance.
If you don’t manage to get on board, you can always go to the market to watch her arrive in plumes of glory – she usually pulls in around 11 am and departs at 2.30 pm.
If you love fine wine, country fare, steam trains, hand-roasted coffee, awe-inspiring design, you’ll love this market in the Elgin Valley.
Fri. 08h00 to 20h00pm
Sat. 09h00 to 20h00pm
Sun. 09h00 to 18h00pm
The best coffee available 7 days a week
