‘Something to be proud of’: New sculpture that celebrates Bridlington’s forgotten past is unveiled

The Barrow Boy statue commemorates the children who earned a small fee by using wheelbarrows to carry holidaymakers’ luggage to hotels and guesthouses between the 1930s and the early 1980s.

Around 30 former ‘Barrow Boys’ were at Bridlington station on Thursday to watch the unveiling ceremony.

The sculpture stands at over 5ft tall and is cast in bronze. It is located on the concourse of the station, which is operated by Northern and used by more than 480,000 customers a year.

It was sculpted by Stephen Carvill, the talented artist who also created the famous Gansey Girl sculpture for Bridlington Harbour's north pier.

Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership has worked with Northern and Network Rail to deliver the artwork project over the last year.

Pete Myers, chair of Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership, said: “I would like to see one of these statues or something similar at many of our seaside towns, to celebrate their history and heritage and the unique entrepreneurial industry of the people who live there.

“Bridlington is a nice station as it’s always decorated with lovely floral displays and this will add to that. But it won’t just benefit customers, it will give the town of Bridlington something to be proud of.”

Darren Allsopp, stakeholder manager for Northern, said: “This is a fantastic piece of art which commemorates an important part of Bridlington’s railway history and I was delighted to see that some of the Barrow Boys made it to the unveiling ceremony at the station.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has worked hard to deliver a sculpture which will be enjoyed by customers for years to come.”

Funding was provided by several organisations, including the Department for Transport, Yorkshire Coast Business Improvement District and Bridlington Town Council. 

It comes after Network Rail improved accessibility at the station in East Yorkshire earlier this year by installing two lifts to the station’s historic footbridge, as part of a £5 million project.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.