HOME teams up with Network Rail to reimagine Oxford Road Station

HOME and Network Rail have teamed up to launch Our City & Beyond: Manchester Oxford Road Edition, an 18-month creative programme inviting artists, schools, and communities to reimagine Manchester Oxford Road Station as a canvas for collective storytelling.

Delivered by HOME in partnership with Network Rail and supported by Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and Northern, the programme explores what becomes possible when rail, culture and the city come together to shape station environments and experiences that are welcoming, reflective of their communities and connected to the life of the city.

Through creative workshops, artists are working with local schools, passengers and communities to explore travel and the life of Manchester Oxford Road Station, building on Nomad Clan’s previous artwork on the former Cornerhouse Screen 1 building.

The ideas, stories and creative responses generated through the programme will inform the next iteration of artwork for the former Screen One building, planned for Summer 2027.

While the programme will culminate in this co-created artwork, Our City & Beyond is intended to be more than a single creative outcome. Rather, it is designed as a platform to test and demonstrate how art and creativity can shape station environments and experiences.

The programme has already begun working with local schools, engaging three schools to date in creative workshops that explore the past, present, and future of travel through Manchester Oxford Road Station. For many of the children, these sessions have been their first meaningful interaction with rail, with over 60% having never travelled by train before, or only once previously.

Louise Harney, Head of Creative Engagement, HOME, commented on the project: “This is an exciting partnership project that invites artists, schools and communities to engage with a famous Manchester landmark as a canvas for collective storytelling, co-creating a public artwork rooted in the city’s past and present.

“HOME’s Creative Engagement team lead projects that champion underrepresented voices, creating opportunities for people across Manchester to contribute to art in the city and we are thrilled to be a part of this project that celebrates creativity in place

“The ideas and creative responses emerging through this engagement are already beginning to shape new opportunities within the station environment. An early example is the announcement of a new artwork across the Whitworth Street railway arches beneath Manchester Oxford Road Station. Created by artist Venessa Scott, the installation will draw inspiration from the creative work already produced by participating school children and will transform the currently neglected arch frontages into a vibrant and evolving canvas for the programme.

“The artwork will be submitted for planning soon and is expected to be delivered in Summer 2026 and represents the first of several opportunities emerging from the programme to deliver visible placemaking improvements while longer- term plans for the station environment continue to evolve.”

Throughout the project, filmmakers and photographers will document the creative process, with resulting films shared at HOME and online, providing an accessible way for wider audiences to engage.