Original artwork description:

Great Eastern Railway Stratford.

Oil on canvas 95 x 180 cm 2025. The painting is inspired by some research I have done about the Steam Engine fabrication and design at the Stratford Works east London.
Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. The original site of the works was located in the 'V' between the Great Eastern Main Line and the Stratford to Lea Bridge route and in the early years was also the home of Stratford Locomotive Depot. The final part of the works closed in 1991.
Overall Stratford works built 1,702 locomotives; 5,500 passenger vehicles and 33,000 goods wagons (although a significant number of these were built at the nearby Temple Mills wagon works when wagon building moved from the Stratford site in 1896).
There is a plaque commemorating Stratford Works, in place at Stratford International station

Activity on the site was started in 1840 by the Northern and Eastern Railway who had opened a new line that joined the Eastern Counties Railway at Stratford. The locomotives were maintained at a roundhouse called the Polygon which was built between July and September 1840 to a design by Robert Stephenson.
In 1850 1,000 men were employed at the works.

Materials used:

oil paint

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