Boat project is really on track
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Welcome to the Boat of Garten, the historic railway station where the sleepers wake up and the track rises like the phoenix!
Well, an osprey at least. The feather gracing the old station was fashioned by bending an old Strathspey Railway track and the picnic tables were once part of the famous line, right down to their feet.
Yet it had been quite a haul to the village’s Station Square recently. Jackie Wilson, of Boat of Garten Community Company, explained: “The installation of the tables comes towards the end of a long journey developing the area, transforming it from a dreary space of old and broken tarmac into the destination it is today, enjoyed by both local residents and tourists in equal measure.”
The company embarked on the project many years ago, with residents invited to vote on their preferred interpretation for the area.
The scheme was enabled with money from CNPA and the Scottish Government.
“It is almost complete,” said Jackie, “just some signage and an interpretive story still to come.
“The overall theme was to furnish the square with interpretive elements reflecting the railway heritage and complementing the listed station buildings.
“This process started off with the involvement of two local artists – Sheena Wilson, who came up with the original concept ideas, and Christine Morrison who designed the installation of the artwork depicting letters and postcards received in the village – based on real material, which was collated via a workshop with local people who searched through their attics to unearth these old letters.”
There was a competitive tender carried out for all the major works, based on the concepts which had been agreed, and it was won by Michael Job of Black Ox Arts.
“He provided both the inspiration, fabrication and installation of all the interpretive elements.”
