Well it was almost thirty years back when I would travel by train from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and then bike into Gorleston. Believe me, my arrival point, that triangular area round Yarmouth station was never going to make it as a picnic destination. British Heritage and the National Trust wouldn't want to know. Sure it had water on two sides, but it also featured the Vauxhall footbridge, an unfortunate entry point to town and a horror movie setting late at night. Other attractions included a car park, car lot, car wash, lots of metal fencing, extensive advertising hoarding and more wasted space than you'd find in an episode of Dr. Who.
Well the other day I had reason to drive past the station and a flash of colour caught my eye. What was going on? Somebody had painted and restored the Vauxhall Bridge. The colour: a not unattractive rusty red. And there was more...
Opposite the station and stretching for seventy metres, was a twenty-eight panelled mural depicting Norfolk's close association with waterways, bridges and railways. The mural starts with the first rail tracks towards Acle, being laid in 1844. Other pictures show the flooding of Southtown, mods on the seafront and the Birds Eye factory responsible for the first ever fish finger. Ok - so the Louvre in Paris has no cause for alarm but heck - it was something!
Any local will tell you - it's gonna be a tough ask to restore this area. So deep respect for the people who are driving this initiative.
No comments:
Post a Comment