Metro art project commemorates the 1926 General Strike

The station’s Bridge Gallery – a popular local art space – features a series of colourful banners which tell the story of the strike in our region, where a group of miners were infamously jailed for derailing the Flying Scotsman.

The Broken Lines exhibition is running until Sunday 12 July, showcasing the art work to thousands of Metro customers.

North Tyneside Art Studio (NTAS), a leading advocate of the arts in the region for mental health and wellbeing, worked with more than 30 people on the thought-provoking banners.

During the 1926 General Strike the Flying Scotsman was inadvertently derailed by striking miners in Cramlington, Northumberland. This resulted in eight miners being sentenced to 48 years’ penal servitude despite no-one dying in the controversial incident, and only one person being slightly injured.

Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “Tynemouth Metro station is a renowned location for art projects through its bridge gallery. We are delighted to see that continue through this latest exhibition marking the 100^th anniversary of the General Strike.

“The art work will be seen by many thousands of people who pass through the Metro station each and every week, and we hope they enjoy seeing it.

““Metro plays a really significant role in showcasing public art work through our Art on Transport Programme.”

Jess Kinnersley, NTA’s Creative Support Worker and project lead, said: “This exciting exhibition has been developed by our members looking for a connection to the event and how the universal themes of community and connection matter as much today as they did 100 years ago”.

“We’ve been hosting weekly workshops for the past two months, exploring the story and using the theme ‘Broken Lines’, which helps people focus not only on the physical act of breaking the train lines but also, importantly, the human elements of the story – human struggles, lives changed and communities divided.”