By Nico Kulmann –
Huddersfield train station is an important transit hub and a focal point in the town centre, so to celebrate its 175th anniversary an event was held exhibiting the history of the train station and Huddersfield’s migrant history.
To mark this occasion, newly commissioned artwork entitled “175 Years of Arrivals” was unveiled in the station.
This artwork was created by Kevin Threlfall and Jo Blaker, with input from the Huddersfield community via collaborative art sessions during the creation process.
The unveiling was accompanied by speeches from Kevin and Jo, as well as John Lambe, Huddersfield’s High Street Heritage Action Zone Project Officer, and Daniel Fox, TransPennine Express Community Manager.
Local community groups set up stalls on platform one to talk to the public about their work, and to raise awareness to some of the historical societies and organisations in and around Huddersfield.
The Penistone Line Partnership, the local Community Rail Partnership, set up artwork panels on platform two.
In the First Class lounge, a series of banners titled “The Town that Bought Itself” were displayed, telling the story of how the Huddersfield Corporation purchased the Ramsden estate in 1920, and how the town developed as a result.
Alongside this display is a collection of records from the Huddersfield Station Ambulance Class, which were found in a recent renovation project, some of which date back as far as 1921.
Outside the station there was a collaborative art project aiming to capture the essence of the conceptual arrivals to Huddersfield from the station. Two canvases were laid out to explore aspects of these arrivals.
On one canvas, members of the public were invited to draw outlines around their feet with pens on canes, with some people adding in their names or outlining their shadow along with their footprints.
The second canvas was for the environment around St. George’s Square, so members of the public were invited to draw the architecture and visual landmarks around the square.
The artwork is now avialable for the public to view in the station waiting area.
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