This iconic UK train is getting a Baz Luhrmann makeover

The British Pullman embodies Art Deco elegance. (Credit: Mark Fox)

BY Eleanor Edström

Last updated . 11 February 2026

The British Pullman, A Belmond Train, has announced a cinematic new dining carriage designed by beloved filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Oscar-winning costume and production designer Catherine Martin.

If Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream were reimagined as a Baz Luhrmann film, its setting might very well take place in a sumptuous railcar. But there’s no need to imagine. Celia, a new private dining and events carriage, will launch in the 2026 UK summer aboard the iconic British Pullman, A Belmond Train, carrying guests through bucolic English countryside with theatrical flair.

Exquisitely crafted and endlessly creative, Belmond’s Celia is set within an original 1932 Pullman carriage where a whimsical world inspired by vintage 1930s theatre and Shakespearean romance awaits. The 12-guest carriage has its own cocktail bar, lounge, and dining and entertainment area, offering a dream-like setting for private dining and intimate events.

The design concept behind Celia

celia carriage british pullman baz luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann is bringing his design eye to Celia. (Credit: Hugh Stewart)

Co-designed by world-renowned Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Oscar-winning costume and production designer Catherine Martin, the carriage is a playful, meta-fictional space nodding to London’s 1930s West End theatre and Shakespeare’s famous A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The design concept follows the narrative of Celia, a fictional West End muse dreamt up by Luhrmann, who was gifted her own Pullman Car in 1932 in honour of her brilliant performance playing Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Celia offers a world of whimsy. (Credit: Yukiko Noritake)

“Stepping inside the carriage is like being transported into another world, and one in which guests are invited to become part of the story,” Luhrmann commented. “Celia, at its heart, is a magical mystery tour – a travelling dining experience for friends or an intimate celebration, filled with food, music, wine, laughter and performance. All of this unfolds as you drift through the countryside, feeling as though you’ve stepped inside A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Let your imagination run wild in the Celia carriage. (Credit: Yukiko Noritake)

“Celia gives travellers the rare opportunity to inhabit the nostalgia of another era,” Catherine Martin says. “Onboard I imagine people eating, dancing and falling in love, taking photographs, celebrating life’s great moments and adventures – all within a world that offers a pause from the chaos of everyday life.”

The style of the Celia carriage

Excellent dining comes standard onboard The British Pullman. (Credit: Charlie McKay)

Luhrmann and Martin have painstakingly integrated details of Celia’s life, Shakespeare’s play and the British countryside into the carriage’s sumptuous design – all while imbuing it with their extravagant signature styles. Elaborate fabric over custom timber parquetry graces the ceiling, while heavy theatre-style curtains create an element of cinema and surprise. Celia’s interiors also feature floral motifs, oak-wood marquetry and velvet upholstered furniture, all woven together by a palette of deep greens, yellows, reds and purples.

To honour The British Pullman’s heritage of British craftsmanship, Luhrmann and Martin worked extensively with British artisans including marquetry experts Dunn & Son, bespoke furniture designer Bill Cleyndert and embroiders Hand and Lock.

What can guests of Celia carriage expect onboard?

Guests of the Celia carriage will have their own stewards. (Credit: Charlie McKay)

Celia offers up to 12 guests at a time the opportunity to journey through bucolic countryside in a self-contained private carriage with dedicated stewards. Travellers will depart from London’s Victoria Station and be able to personalise their onboard and offboard experiences, with a private chef available to design custom menus on request.

Depending on guests’ wishes, the carriage can morph into a theatrical space for performances, a dance floor or a haven for elegant dinners and bespoke cocktail hours – guests are invited to let their imagination lead the way, as Luhrmann and Martin have done.