Friday 26 November 2021

EXHIBITION REVIEW: Postman Pat: Welcome To Greendale - Lauriston Gallery, Waterside Theatre, Sale, Manchester.


A family exhibition of Postman Pat collectibles / memorabilia from the children's TV animated series are on display at the Lauriston Gallery at Sale's Waterside until 8 January.

On show are some of the sets used in the series, such as Greendale School (1979 - 1981), Greendale Street showing post office exterior (1979 -1981), the Greendale Post Office interior (1979 - 1981), Pencaster Square (2013 - 2107), Pat's van (2003 - 2017),The Greendale Rocket (train) (2003 - 2017), and several others. Also on display are a large selection of the people who lived there too. Obviously there are a few Postman Pats (along with his little black cat, Jess), as well as Sara Clifton, Alf Thompson, Mrs. Goggins, Amy the vet, and Rev Timms to name just a selection.

These are all the real set pieces and characters used in the TV series, and the amount of thought and detail that has gone into making them when viewed clos-up like this is actually quite incredible. Everything, even down to the postage stamps being scaled down correctly. 

Greendale (the village where the stories are set), we are informed, was created by John Cunliffe, and he was inspired by the tiny village of Longsleddale in Cumbria. This is why the architecture of the village is reminiscent of the Lake District towns, and the fields are divided by dry stone walls.  

In a corridor adjacent to the Lauriston Gallery are further exhibits which include the original sketches of the characters' costumes, their proportions in relation to each other, as well as part of the filming schedule and storyboards from episode 23, 'Disco Machine'.

Children, or those who have grown up with Postma Pat, have the opportunity to see close-up the incredibly detailed and cleverly designed figures and sets, and ogle, or maybe even reminisce about a loss of innocence. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 25.11.21

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