Culcheth Community Mosaic Project

Culcheth Linear Park lies on a section of the former Wigan to Glazebrook railway. The ranger cabin and car park are situated where Culcheth Station once stood.

Although the site has been transformed, reminders of the park’s history remain. Opposite the car park and ranger cabin there is a stone revetment, once the location of the platform waiting room.

The remaining floor had become very eroded over the years and required attention. Rather than simply rendering the floor, a more imaginative solution was sought!

Warrington Borough Council Ranger Service working in conjunction with local community groups and artists created a series of mosaics. Together the mosaics tell the story of the park’s history from the construction of the railway to the present day.

Funding

The project was funded by Rural Action for the Environment, Warrington Borough Council Arts Development, Culcheth Educational Trust, Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council and the Ranger Service.

Site Preparation

Before any work could take place within the waiting room area the whole site had to be cleared with assistance from local Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, Culcheth Community volunteers and Princes Trust volunteers. Rubble and debris were removed and a sound sub base created.

Overhanging laurel has been coppiced and the re-growth will be clipped into an attractive hedge.

Community Involvement

Members from five local community groups took part in the mosaic project. Each group concentrated on a particular aspect of the site’s history.

• Mee Brow After Schools Club – railway construction
• Newchurch Primary School – Culcheth Station
• Culcheth Society of Artists – railway use
• Culcheth Youth Club – railway closure
• Mee Brow and Culcheth Playschemes – the present    

Each group, working alongside artists from Raku, researched their chosen title and developed design ideas using a variety of mediums including pencil drawing, painting and clay modelling.

Images

Move the cursor over the images for more details.

Culcheth Youth

Summer Playschemes

Mosaic Designs

Elements from each person’s ideas helped to form a collaborative piece representative of the whole group.

Once a design draft was decided upon a real size copy was made and each group tested the design for ‘mosaicability’ by using card mosaic tiles.

Newchurch Junior School

Culcheth Youth

Culcheth Age Concern Art Group

Meeting of Minds

Mosaic Construction

The artists, volunteers and some group members constructed the mosaics at the Raku workshops in Accrington. Each mosaic design was re-drawn onto greaseproof paper. The paper was laid face down and the specialised ceramic mosaic tiles stuck upside-down to the paper. Once finished a hessian backing was stuck to the tiles creating a mosaic sandwich enabling them to be easily transported, inverted and installed on site.

Mosaic Siting

The revetment area was paved by The Clitheroe Tile Company, specialists in mosaic floorings. Five concrete pads were inlaid into the paving to take the mosaics. The mosaic panels were brought to the site and fixed in place. After the resin had set the greaseproof paper was removed and the remaining gaps around the mosaic grouted.

Mosaic Panels

	A group of youngsters from local schools who meet at the Mee Brow community centre. This mosaic depicts the construction of the railway and the previous agricultural land use of the site.
	Pupils studied the Culcheth Station during the hey day of steam. The red footprints relate to a news story about two thieves who broke into the station safe covering themselves with red anti-theft powder contained within the safe casing.
	A group of senior community members worked together to produce a four way mosaic. Their design depicts the main uses of the railway and the opening date. Seaside holidays to Blackpool, coal for power stations and the steel works and the transport of market garden produce grown on the local mossland.
	An informal group of teenagers collected by Mrs Olly and joined by four exchange students from the Czech Republic designed a mosaic to reflect the station closure and consequential dereliction after Lord Beeching axed many railways in the 1960’s.
	Two summer playschemes for children worked jointly to produce a mosaic design reflecting the present day. Culcheth Linear Park, a wildlife haven and a place to relax, picnic or ride your bike.

Last updated 17/02/2010 10:41:32

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