The company agreed to make a £300 grant to Whitehaven Heritage Action Group to support the work which is being carried out by Seascale painter and decorator Ian Cripps.

The installation, by the Heritage Group back in Millennium year 2000, was done in conjunction with Whitehaven Development Company. The Waterfront wall of nautical blue with its huge stainless steel compass rose welcomes the visitor to the harbourside and highlights the town’s long maritime history.

Michelle Lewis, head of communications and stakeholder engagement for Electricity North West, said: “Substations are an essential part of the North West' electricity network and tend to be located in built-up areas as that's where people need power.

“We have a regular maintenance programme for our 20,000 substations to keep them looking neat and tidy and when the Heritage Group contacted us we were delighted to help enhance this public space for local residents and visitor to enjoy for years to come.”

It artwork has Whitehaven’s latitude and longitude co-ordinates of 53 33N 03 35W and the compass feature, manufactured by internationally renowned metalwork artist Alan Dawson, is tilted to the left of vertical so the axis points to the North Star.

Heritage Group chairman Michael Moon said: “This was a good scheme that we think is a welcome addition to the town’s streetscape. A former blank brick wall has been adorned with an attractive feature but, like everything else in this exposed salt-air environment, continuing maintenance is required and of course costs money. We are grateful to Electricity North West for their support in this instance.”