New artwork windows that honour 'Britain's finest war poet' Wilfred Owen unveiled at Scarborough train station

Visitors to Scarborough train station may have noticed that two new colourful windows have been installed.
By George Buksmann
Published 19th Jul 2021, 16:12 BST
Updated 19th Jul 2021, 16:21 BST
The new Wilfred Owen windows are unveiled at Scarborough Train Station.The new Wilfred Owen windows are unveiled at Scarborough Train Station.
The new Wilfred Owen windows are unveiled at Scarborough Train Station.

The new artworks honour war poet Wilfred Owen with the colourful glass now on show to the public, which can be found at the front of the station and towards the end of the platform.

The windows feature text and illustrations from five of Owen's poems; these illustrations are in muted colours and can only be identified close up.

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From a distance, the windows appear bright, colourful and translucent. There is also artwork displayed which showcases portraits of Owen himself alongside his handwritten poems.

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One of the Owen windows which can be found on the platform.One of the Owen windows which can be found on the platform.
One of the Owen windows which can be found on the platform.

TransPennine Express donated £10,000 between Scarborough s new cultural festival Big Idea by the Sea and the Wilfred Owen windows through its Community Rail Partnership Growth Fund.

Big Ideas by the Sea: New Scarborough cultural festival kicks off with musical premiere

Kane Cunningham, Art Director and Big Ideas By The Sea Co-Director, said, "We are thrilled to be one of the winners of the CRP growth fund, with a proposal to focus on Wilfred Owen, who is widely regarded as Britain's finest war poet."

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A series of six podcasts have also been created to accompany the window art installation and will be available for listeners on the Big Ideas By The Sea Festival website.

The second window can be found at the front of the station.The second window can be found at the front of the station.
The second window can be found at the front of the station.

The first podcast introduces Wilfred Owen's history and was recorded on location at Scarborough station. Each of the other five podcasts focuses on a specific poem.

Mr Cunningham continued: "Owen’s father Tom worked for the railways, and in the early 1900s, the Owen family travelled to Scarborough on holiday.

"Owen also arrived by train when he was an Army Officer stationed in the town during World War One.

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"Each window design is inspired by one of the many Owen poems written in Scarborough, and each expresses something personal about his months spent in this wonderful seaside town."

Paul Elsam, Artist and Wilfred Owen scholar, said: "Wilfred Owen had a bit of a secret life in Scarborough, and it's been fun working with the station windows to plant clues, then unpick them in podcasts.

"It's especially exciting to share this with the public, whether they're fans of Owen’s poetry or not."

Related topics:ScarboroughBritainTranspennine Express