Worcestershire schoolchildren create new artwork to celebrate 175-year history of Shrub Hill Station
Shrub Hill Station is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year with three new pieces of artwork.
Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (WCRP) worked in partnership with a local artist, three schools, Platform Rail education scheme and West Midlands Railway to create public art reflecting the station’s importance to the City of Worcester.
Claire Horacek, a Worcester based artist and regular user of the station, was commissioned by WCRP to work with pupils from primary schools to produce three unique pieces of art.
Celebrating three main themes – Royal Worcester Porcelain, the Vulcan Ironworks, and the Shrub Hill Quarter redevelopment – pupils from Martley Primary School, St. Barnabas Primary School and St. George’s Primary School visited the station to make sketches and then each school designed their own piece of artwork.
Tom Painter, who chairs the Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership, said: “It has been truly inspiring to witness the passion these children poured into honoring Shrub Hill station’s legacy. The finished designs have beautifully captured Worcester’s world-class manufacturing history and imaginatively featured bright possibilities for the future.”
Claire Horacek said: “I love the structures of the railway station and the excitement of seeing the trains coming in and out. It was great to share this with the children, and wonderful to see them making excellent observational drawings in the station, painting the tiles, and develop their individual artworks.
“Whenever I visit the station or pass through on a train I’ll be reminded of working with all the brilliant children.”
The designs feature elements of the historic grand waiting rooms at the station which were built between 1857 and 1868 and have been restored in recent years thanks to funding and expertise from the Railway Heritage Trust. The unique buildings feature a combination of cast-iron frames made by Vulcan Iron Works of Worcester and inlaid, patterned ceramic tile panels made by Maw & Co Ltd.
The artworks are placed within the building’s structure and border tiles are painted in each school’s colours, with each one imaginatively designed and painted by each pupil. The pupils made observational drawings at the station which included the decorative majolica tiles outside the Victorian waiting room. The pupils collaborated in small groups on the central sections, painting the tiles together to produce a lively collaborative masterpiece.
West Midlands Railway spokesperson, said: “We are proud to display the schoolchildren’s beautiful artwork in Shrub Hill to mark the station’s birthday. While the project was an opportunity to celebrate the station’s past, it’s also provided a platform for their designs to be a part of Worcester Shrub Hill’s future.”
Platform Rail, Tom Blow, said: “The children from all schools involved were so engaged with their art creation, both through their individual tiles as well as their collaborative efforts as an expression of their engagement and creativity. An absolute pleasure to be a part of this project!”
Worcestershire CRP is committed to connecting communities through sustainable travel and creative local projects.
By working with artists, schools, volunteers, and environmental partners, the CRP not only enhances local stations
but also raises awareness of vital issues like healthy, sustainable travel, biodiversity and conservation.
Initiatives like the Shrub Hill 175 celebratory artwork reflect the CRP’s broader mission to make rail
stations welcoming hubs of community pride, education, and positive environmental action.