A MAGNIFICENT mural showcasing Port Glasgow past and present has been unveiled at the town’s railway station.

A £10,000 project led by Greenock-based RIG Arts has given the building a bright new look.

Paintings on show blend then and now, featuring everything from Ferguson’s shipyard to the Glen Mill, the new Parklea to the iconic Comet replica, and the former Scott Lithgow yards to the ‘Endeavour’ sculpture opposite Coronation Park.

Each piece also has a description next to it explaining the work.

RIG’s Karen Patton Orr, who lives in Inverkip, worked on the paintings with colleague Jim Strachan, from Gourock.

Karen said: “It’s turned out better than we thought it would, everybody loves it and the responses from the public have been so positive.

“We’re delighted.”

The mural was suggested by members of the Port Glasgow Town Centre Regeneration Forum as a way of making the station more welcoming for visitors and locals alike.

RIG Arts created the artwork with help from the Port Glasgow Community Association, P7 pupils from St John’s Primary and the Port Glasgow Old Men’s Club.

Pupil Holly Burns, 12, who is now at Cedars in Greenock, was among the youngsters who worked on the mural along with former classmates Eva McConnachie, 12, and Joseph Adams, 11, now of St Stephen’s High.

She said: “When we were doing it, we learned a lot about the history of where we come from and I enjoyed that.”

The eye-catching artwork measures 56ft across 14 panels and was funded 50-50 by Riverside Inverclyde (RI) and ScotRail’s culture and arts fund.

John Yellowlees, the train operator’s community liaison manager, said: “This has transformed a functional corridor into a major public space. It is a perfectly nice, purposeful train station but it’s also now an art gallery and a special place.”

RI acting chief executive Fiona Maguire added: “It’s a pleasure to walk down the corridor and take time to look at every single image and little description.

“There will be quite a few people missing their trains as a result of this!”
Residents have given the artwork rave reviews.

Anne Ross, who chairs Port Glasgow Community Association, said: “It’s wonderful.

“Everything is represented – they’ve certainly done their homework.”

Depute Provost and Port councillor David Wilson added: “Port Glasgow is on the up and this is another example of it.

“There’s a good feeling in the town, that’s what people are saying to me.

“For people arriving here it brightens up the station and puts Port Glasgow on the map.”