At the end of May, nine art panels were unveiled at Northwich Station, funded by train operators CrossCountry and Northern together with Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership to celebrate Railway 200.
The artwork was created by Northwich based artist Jim Stanley. Jim’s signature monochrome style works are famous in the area, having created pieces for Witton Albion Football Club and Radio Northwich.
The idea for the art installation was first conceived last year in a Friends of Northwich Station meeting. The station friends are a group of local volunteers who care for the station through regular litter picks, updating the notice board and looking after the station’s flower planters.
Each of the nine illustrated panels which spells out ‘NORTHWICH’ depicts a different place along the Mid Cheshire railway line starting at Chester and finishing at Manchester. It includes the towns and countryside between these major cities including Northwich, Knutsford, Altrincham and Stockport plus Delamere Forest and the scenic Cheshire countryside.
Depictions on the panels include an elephant from Chester Zoo, and a racing car referencing nearby Oulton Park. The letter ‘T’ includes famous Northwich steam ship “The Danny”, with others showing the Anderton boat lift and the soda ash train, which moved limestone between Tunstead and Northwich on the Mid Cheshire Line for many years. Landmarks include Stockport’s famous viaduct and Manchester’s Hilton Hotel and Central Library.
Mid Cheshire MP Andrew Cooper attended the unveiling and cut the ribbon alongside Community Rail Officer, Sarah Muir. Armed with a guitar, artist Jim Stanley rounded off the morning with a rendition of a song he had written especially for the occasion about the Mid Cheshire Railway line.
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