A sculpture has been unveiled in an East Yorkshire town which celebrates its ‘forgotten past’.

‘The Barrow Boy’ commemorates the children who earned a few pennies using wheelbarrows to carry holidaymakers’ luggage to Bridlington guesthouses and hotels over a 50-year period from the 1930s.

Around 30 former ‘barrow boys’ were at the Bridlington railway station concourse in Station Approach yesterday (July 25) to watch the unveiling ceremony.

The sculpture stands at over 5ft tall and is cast in bronze.

It was created by Stephen Carvill, who also sculpted the ‘Gansey Girl’ for Bridlington Harbour's north pier.

Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership has worked with Northern and Network Rail to deliver the artwork project over the last year.

Pete Myers, chair of Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership, said: “I would like to see one of these statues or something similar at many of our seaside towns, to celebrate their history and heritage and the unique entrepreneurial industry of the people who live there.

“Bridlington is a nice station as it’s always decorated with lovely floral displays and this will add to that.

“But it won’t just benefit customers, it will give the town of Bridlington something to be proud of.”

Darren Allsopp, stakeholder manager for Northern, said: “This is a fantastic piece of art which commemorates an important part of Bridlington’s railway history and I was delighted to see that some of the Barrow Boys made it to the unveiling ceremony at the station.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has worked hard to deliver a sculpture which will be enjoyed by customers for years to come.”

Network Rail recently installed two lifts at the station to improve accessibility, as part of a £5 million project.