onionbagblog

Just over twelve months ago, forty or so Wivenhoe locals from varying backgrounds gathered in the Wyvern Room at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] to discuss and collaborate on future ideas and uses for the Station Master’s House. Gathering under the guidance of Transition Town Wivenhoe, a couple of hours were spent pondering the central question of:

How can the Station Master’s House make Wivenhoe a more sustainable community?

The good folk of TTW have just published the condensed video of the evening.

The end result of the discussions was a sequence of ideas, but probably more importantly, a sense of co-operation across different layers in the town with individuals who might not normally get the chance to work together. Sadly external and structural (!) forces elsewhere didn’t allow for the momentum to be carried with the enthusiasm that was assembled on the night. It became tricky for TTW to talk with the outgoing National Express East Anglia, and the internal structure of the building itself took a very slight turn for the worse later in the year.

But that is maybe just a minor setback. Watching the recording some twelve months later and the energy and community input comes back instantly. The ideas were carried forward by TTW, but the project perhaps just wasn’t right for the time twelve months ago.

The Station Master’s House is still standing, unlike its near neighbour of the Engine Shed, which withers like some relic from post-War London with the changing of every season. There is still hope for the project, especially so when you reconsider once again the passion that was present on the evening.

Never say never?

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