Stained glass artwork which has been on display at Monkeseaton Tyne and Wear Metro station for the past 40 years is to be restored to its former glory as part of a £400,000 scheme to refurbish the gable ends of the station canopy.
The “Beach & Shipyards” installation bookends the historic canopy at the station which has been in place since 1915. It features iconic designs in stained glass and will now be painstakingly cleaned and repaired at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre.
It includes two pieces of stained glass art work – “Beach” was designed from a schools competition won by Rosalind Hurst and “Shipyards” is an abstract treatment of the River Tyne’s heritage. In order to restore the stained glass it will be carefully removed before being transported to Sunderland where the restoration will take place.
The whole project sees Nexus refurbishing the glazing and steel structures that make up the gable ends of the canopy, ensuring the longevity of the structure for years to come. The glazing will be toughened to make it more resistant to vandalism and bad weather.
Sarah McManus, Head of Renewals at Nexus, said: “The stained glass art work at Monkseaton Metro station is one of the most striking pieces of public art on Metro, and really has become an iconic feature of the station’s historic canopy. We are investing in a range of repairs to the canopy and the restoration of the stained glass is a key element of the scheme, so that customers can enjoy this amazing piece of art work for many years to come. ‘Beaches and Shipyards’ played such a big part in the first few years of our art on transport programme in the early 1980s, not long after Metro first opened. It will be fantastic to see this unique piece of art looking as good as new again.”
The car park at Monkseaton will become the contractors compound and will be closed until late November. The station will remain open throughout the project but some entrances may have to be temporarily closed at times.