Station adopters, rail partners and community supporters gathered at Swinton Interchange Station on Friday 3 July to unveil a new ‘Welcome to Swinton’ artwork.
The artwork – commissioned by the Friends of Swinton Station, created by local artist Pete Olding and funded by Northern and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) – welcomes visitors to Swinton by rail, introducing them to its rich heritage through an illustrated collection of its most significant historical landmarks.
The new welcome board sits alongside other heritage features at the station, including the Brick Assembly, which stands as a tribute to the area’s brickmaking industry, the people who made them and those who built with them. Nearby, a further heritage board commemorates the four railway stations that have served the Swinton area over the years, helping to tell the story of the town’s rich transport history.
Together, they reflect the town’s proud history, architectural legacy, industrial heritage and strong sense of identity. Highlights include the Town Cross, which stands on a medieval base and was carefully restored at the start of the 21st century, and St Margaret’s Parish Church, renowned for its striking Gothic Revival architecture. Also depicted are Swinton Hall, a Georgian Era residence, and the Waterloo Kiln (1817), one of the few surviving structures of the famous Rockingham Pottery.
Ken Wyatt, volunteer with the Friends of Swinton Station, said: “We’ve done a lot of work around the station on planting and biodiversity, but we also like to celebrate local history and heritage, so we commissioned local artist Pete Olding to design this board for us.
“Now, when people arrive by train, they can see some of the historic buildings and features around the town.
“Art, heritage, biodiversity – it all happens at Swinton Station.”
SYMCA has previously collaborated with Community Rail Network members on a number of projects, including Bishop Line CRP and Northern’s Try the Train programme and working with the Penistone Line Partnership to install customer information screens in community spaces and other art projects at stations, including Barnsley Interchange and Chapeltown.
To find out more about community rail activities and volunteering opportunities at Swinton or other stations across South Yorkshire, please contact CommunityRail@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk.
