Crewe's railway heritage celebrated in new station mural

The mural features local landmarks as well as the poetry of Gareth Williams

A mural celebrating a town's 185 years of railway history has been unveiled.

The bespoke 12m (39 ft) artwork can be seen inside the station at Crewe, a town transformed by the introduction of the railway.

The display marks the end of a 12-month celebration of 185 years since the station was identified as a junction on the West Coast Main Line.

It features the work of railwayman and poet Gareth Williams with his poem Tracks are our Veins.

"Like most people from Crewe, the railway is in my blood," he said.

"We are incredibly proud of the role our town has played, and will continue to play in the railway story."

The display marks an end to anniversary celebrations of the junction

"Gareth's passion and words are really brought to life by the mural and the customer reaction has been really positive," added station manager Karen Grimshaw.

The project was made in collaboration with North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership.

"Gareth's poem is a wonderful celebration of the origins of Crewe and one we hope will inspire pupils at local schools to capture, through poetry, the town's close links with the railway," said Emma McIntosh from the group.

When the Grand Junction Railway company opened its works in 1843, Crewe was a village with a few hundred residents.

Over the course of 30 years the number grew to about 40,000 as the industry transformed the entire landscape.