IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Regent Street, SHANKLIN, PO37 7BL

The railway station at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

Looking towards Shanklin bus and railway station.

On the junction with Regent Street next to the station.

Cafe and amusements at 2-4 Atherley Road, opposite Shanklin railway station.

Frontage of Shanklin Station.

Shanklin is the southern terminus of the Island Line from Ryde Pier Head. A blue plaque inside the station records that the station was opened on August 23rd 1864.

The artwork is on the road side of the station building, on the right here. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4628765 Jarge is the work of Glyn Roberts. The plaque and stone carving were commissioned in 2012 by Shanklin Rotary Club on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The text records that until the 1950s, most holidaymakers arrived in Shanklin by train. As they came out of the station they might well have encountered a man on the forecourt, with a two-wheeled trolley, who hoped to earn a shilling or two by carrying their bags. He was George Hawksworth (Jarge). The brass badge fixed to his distinctive brown trilby hat showed him to be licensed by the railway company as an Outside Porter. He always wore a suit, knee length gaiters and polished boots. His hat sat low on his forehead, perhaps weighed down by the heavy brass badge. Spotting a likely customer, he would call out "Carry your bag, Sir". If the visitor agreed, Jarge would load his red and green trolley and lead them to their hotel or guest house. On Saturdays, though, when passengers emerged from a train, Jarge often faced competition from local lads whose homemade wooden handcarts trundled along on old pram wheels. They would use tricks to distract him, winding him up unmercifully, and pirate customers behind his back. Poor Jarge could seldom match these quick-witted youngsters and he was often reduced to cursing and threatening retribution. In many ways Jarge was a throwback to the former Golden Era of rail travel. When he finally handed in his badge, a national newspaper reported him as the longest-serving Outside Porter in the country.

Atherley Road leads from Shanklin railway station to the sea front. In this image, the sea is just visible in the distance.

Looking towards flats in 4-storey Atherley Court. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4652465