A station mural in the North East has been given a new lease of life thanks to a partnership between a station friends group and local artist, as the Friends of Blaydon Station unveiled an enlarged mural at the Tyne and Wear station on 9 June.

Local artist, Sarah Jarman, who has worked for Beamish Open Air Museum was chosen to work on the Blaydon Station Mural.  The artwork was painted onto the remaining brickwork of the 1912 station, which had been demolished in the 1970s when staff were withdrawn as Pay Trains began to operate. The walls looked very bare and Friends of Blaydon Station wanted to brighten the station up and were very pleased when Northern Rail funded the mural.

Two extra panels were added to each end of the existing mural, and on the eastern end two murals were added of a racehorse to mark the 1861 event and a runner to mark the present day road race.  On the western end is a verse from the famous song the Blaydon Races.  Friends of Blaydon Station did not choose the famous verse, but instead chose some lines to commemorate the historic aspect of the town.

“We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon Toon,

The Bellman he was callin there they call him Jackey Brown,

Aw saw him talkin to some cheps on them he was pursuadin,

To gan see Geordy Ridleys concert in the Mechanics Hall at Blaydon”.

Verse taken from Thomas Allen’s  1862 Tyneside Songbook.

Fiona Forsythe, Tyne Valley Community Rail partnership officer said: “I was on the train on Saturday and Sarah’s work on Platform 2 looks wonderful.  Well done for taking this piece of work forward!”

The local social media has been very supportive…

“Well done to all the Friends of Blaydon Station.  Blaydon now has a station to be proud of”.

“We actually watched her writing the last few words on the top line of Blaydon Races as we waited for our train”.

“Looks fantastic.  Well done to the Friends.  Always busy making the station a lovely place to be.  Thank you”.