Mosaic Musings
Mosaic Musings
by: Buffs
Western Depot’s Historic Mosaic Exposed
Wednesday’s dawn forced back the darkness to unveil a dreich vista dripping with heavy mist across field and hedgerow alike. Along the highways and byways the pressing brume was cleaved apart by the rush of the morning traffic letting in a pale light as the sun rose slowly higher. The mist polished autumn leaves flounced their colours ever brighter against the opaque misty backdrop shrouding the fields, bringing the horizon close to their roots.
Against this mystical backdrop WD volunteers slowly filled the car park and made their way to the office to sign in. And by turn each volunteer was brought to a halt as they looked across the wide open space at the heart of the quadrangle. There was an unobstructed view from the gate to the woodwork shop. And then looking closer at the floor of the yard they saw the newly exposed mosaic hidden from view by the patchwork of coloured trench plates now removed. The geometric patterns etched into the mud had a strange beauty. The little depressions collecting the falling mist started to shine in the wan sunlight. Throughout the day the mist and mizzle came and went but the volunteers treated the newly exposed patterns with the respect due a work of art. None would cross the piece but rather took the longer route around the edge of the work.
The container which had so dominated the centre of the yard since before Covid arrived had gone, whisked away in the silence of Tuesday to be put to good use elsewhere across the parish of the trust. This marks the beginning of the end of the re-modelling and re-purposing of the yard. The last phase will ensure that the yard surface will tolerate the loads put on it by the heavy tipper trucks that will bring in bulk supplies of loose materials necessary for the phase 1B works to be carried on the Stroudwater from the Ocean to Saul Junction.
The mosaic will not be visible for long and may even have faded into the mist which had covered the yard for the whole day.
