Hitchin’s history on show in station subway murals

The operator of Hitchin’s train services has installed a pair of dramatic murals to brighten the station’s subway for passengers.

The two murals, each 15 metres long, tell the town’s history since the mid-19^th century using around 200 photographs from the North Herts Museum’s collection.

The artworks were created by community and environmental charity Groundwork East. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), parent company of Great Northern and Thameslink, has commissioned the charity to carry out community art and landscaping projects at 19 Great Northern and Thameslink stations. Their projects are part of GTR's multimillion-pound, network-wide station improvement programme.

Groundwork East’s Assistant Landscape Architect Becca Huggins and Project Assistant Eliza Morris designed the photographic collages, working with the Museum’s Assistant Curator Matthew Platt. They arranged the copies of the pictures provided by Matt into 11 varied topics important to the market town, including Agriculture, “Captured Moments”, Football, Shops and War. The oldest photograph dates from the 1850s.

Becca Huggins said “This was a lovely project to work on, as it brings to life the rich history of the town, whilst improving the station’s subway, making a better commute for all. It’s great to see the pieces come to life and to create a better place for the local community. Connecting people with places and bringing communities together is what Groundwork is all about, and this installation really achieves that.”

Matthew Platt said: “We’re really pleased to have so much of our photograph collection on show, making such a difference for rail passengers. Groundwork has done a fantastic job. Although the pictures of unknown people are fascinating, some of my favourites are those we have a bit of background knowledge about, such as basket-maker George Day, who is shown at work in his tiny shop. Another striking photo from the Captured Moments section shows supporters of the MP Dr Hillier, gathered to cheer his 1910 election victory.

“The Football pictures have an interesting back story because what’s believed to be the world’s first museum of football was founded in Hitchin - its collection of almost 1,000 objects was donated to our museum in the 1970s.”

MP for Hitchin and Harpenden Bim Afolami visited the station on Friday [6 August] to see the mural and meet its creators, and for an update on other improvements at the station, which has been provided with new information screens and secure cycle parking.

Karen Gregson, Area Manager for Great Northern and Thameslink said: “On behalf of our customers and colleagues at Hitchin, I'm delighted to thank Groundwork East and North Herts Museum for bringing their brilliant idea to life with this spectacular artwork. It's a really evocative expression of Hitchin’s identity that helps make the station feel part of the community we serve. And it's the crowning glory for improvements we've made at the station including new information screens and secure cycle parking."

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Notes to editors

About Groundwork

Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action against poverty and for the environment across the UK. For more information see https://www.groundwork.org.uk/hubs/east/

About GTR’s wider station improvement programme

GTR’s network-wide, multimillion-pound improvement programme involves over 1,000 projects, many suggested by local passenger and community groups, at more than 250 stations. While we’re working hard to achieve the punctuality and reliability our passengers rightly expect, we want them to know we are with them all the way and making their stations better places to pass through.

The vast number and range of improvements can be described under three themes:

1. Giving many stations a better ambience by redecorating, planting and installing artwork, often with substantial input from the local community; we’ve commissioned over 200 pieces of community art

2. Making stations work better for passengers, improving comfort and safety with new waiting rooms and shelters, seating, lighting, information screens, defibrillators for public use, and accessibility schemes; we’ve installed nearly 3,000 new seats and over 100 information screens

3. Making stations more sustainable, with schemes such as electric vehicle charging points, secure facilities for cyclists, rainwater retention systems, and even bee gardens; we’re providing around 1,300 new cycle parking spaces

We’ve created dedicated web pages where passengers and local communities can get updates on what’s happening at their station. They can be found at:

• https://www.southernrailway.com/about-us/our-commitments/improving-your-stations
• https://www.greatnorthernrail.com/about-us/our-commitments/improving-your-stations
• https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/about-us/our-commitments/improving-your-stations