Station partners transform platform shelter into art gallery

• Railway community partnership creates art gallery in platform shelter

• Southern displays work of local artists inspired by station’s rural environment
• Transformation is among hundreds of community projects in train company’s multimillion-pound station improvement programme

A partnership between local community groups and Southern Railway has created a surprising artwork installation at Penshurst station, on the Redhill-Tonbridge branch line in Kent. An exhibition of paintings by local artists has transformed a once dreary shelter into the Penshurst Platform Gallery.

Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have smartened up the brick platform shelter as part of their network-wide, multimillion-pound station improvement programme. The shelter’s position up against the station boundary prevented any structural improvements, so the train company turned to the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership (SCRP) for inspiration.

SCRP Community Rail Officer, Sharon Gray, used her local knowledge to link up with a group of gifted artists based at nearby Jessops Farm Studios. Their work has delivered the drama that was lacking.

Jessops Farm Studios is a vibrant artist-led space in Chiddingstone Causeway. In this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, each artist expresses their personal response to places they love.

Cathy Bird MA, who runs the Studios, said: "We like to feel part of the community. Our studios host public exhibitions, talks and workshops, and some of our artists lead workshops at local art groups and other events. We were delighted when the SCRP invited us to create our 'Platform Gallery' at Penshurst station."

Sharon Gray said: "We were so fortunate that this amazing group decided to work with our tiny rural station. I’ve worked on many station projects but seeing the quality and impact of this display of artistic talent took me completely by surprise. Thank you to everyone involved.

The project from start to finish was worked on entirely throughout the past year’s lockdown restrictions. The artists and project organisers did an amazing job putting this together.

“When restrictions are lifted I encourage people to sit, relax and take the time to enjoy these images of this beautiful part of Kent.”

Chris Fowler, Customer Services Director for Southern, said: “On behalf of our customers I’d like to say a big thank you to Sharon, the project organisers and all the talented local artists for creating this unique attraction. Our station improvement programme is about providing a better travelling experience, and it’s also about being a partner with local communities to make sure their stations are the best local assets they can be.”

GTR’s station improvement programme includes more than 1,000 projects at over 250 stations. As well as redecorated shelters on both platforms, Penshurst passengers will benefit from new seats and lighting, new cycle parking hoops, and internal redecoration of the footbridge.

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Notes to editors

About the artists

Jessops Farm Studios is run by Cathy Bird MA. Cathy paints and offers classes and workshops for adults and young artists, with the support of the artists exhibiting at the station. The ethos for painters and students alike is that each follows their own creative path, rather than sharing a studio style.

About Southeast Communities Rail Partnership

Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, part of a nationwide movement, works to connect communities and the railway across Sussex, Kent and Surrey. See their website for more information: https://www.southeastcrp.org/

About GTR’s wider station improvement programme

GTR’s network-wide, multimillion-pound improvement programme involves over 1,000 projects, many of which were 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

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

3. Making stations more sustainable, with schemes such as electric vehicle charging points, secure facilities for cyclists, rainwater retention systems, and even bee gardens.

Along with Penshurst, the four other Southern stations on the branch line between Redhill and Tonbridge will all benefit from the programme:

• Nutfield – new seating and ticket vending machine canopy (all complete)
• Godstone – new seating, ticket vending machine canopy and landscaping (in progress)
• Edenbridge – new seating, ticket vending machine canopy and footbridge internal redecoration (all complete)
• Leigh – new customer information screen (in progress)

At Redhill, we’ve installed 15 new benches and a waiting shelter, and refurbished the toilets.

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