‘Spectacle’ planned for Stockton & Darlington Railway bicentenary in …
A festival and “major international event” is on the way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of modern railways on Teesside.
Organisers have started the two-year countdown to the bicentenary of the Stockton[1] and Darlington[2] Railway in 2025. They have announced a nine-month festival, S&DR200, from Easter to Christmas that year with exhibitions, installations and attractions to mark the momentous journey of the first steam train which took passengers from Shildon to Stockton and tell people how it transformed the world.
Festival director Niccy Hallifax said: “The importance of this moment cannot be underestimated, the railways have become day-to-day life for many people around the world. Most of us have a treasured memory or a story that involves a rail journey and it is this, and the drive to invent and explore, that this festival celebrates. We want to inspire and give people the opportunity to discover new opportunities and enjoy collaborations by international artists – all linked to this fascinating industry to mark this special place where it all started.”
A replica of Locomotion No. 1 will be used for “experiences” around the 26-mile journey, with a walk and cycle path following much of the route. Reuben Kench, chair of the Railway Heritage Partnership board delivering the celebrations, said: “That was a momentous, world-changing event. Nearly 200 years on, we are looking at how we tell that story accurately and authentically.
“We are hoping and working on the recreation of the inaugural journey. If we can recreate that world-changing moment and bring a replica train along the original route as far as possible, we think that’ll be a major international event and attraction.
An image of what the new Preston Park extension might look like under new plans. (Image: Stockton Council)
“People can expect to see large-scale, dramatic, moving, dynamic, theatrical performances and events. Expect things of scale, that are interactive, educational, that celebrate our identity now and explore our historical identity. We’re interested in spectacle and large-scale things that people can see.”
This will include the first exhibition celebrating the railway story at the forthcoming extension of Preston Park Hall and Museum[3], promised to be a major unique exhibition space[4] on Teesside built largely with government levelling up funding.
“The original Stockton and Darlington Railway line ran through the edge of Preston Park. That line has just been given English Heritage Scheduled Monument status,” said Mr Kench.
“There was a race between a horse and carriage and the Locomotion, that is believed to have occurred on the Yarm[5] Road. We are looking to try and recreate something of that race.”
He said the programme, costing more than £5m across the North-east, would touch the lives of almost everyone in the area and reach an international audience. The festival brought together Stockton, Darlington and Durham councils, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the National Railway Museum, Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, Network Rail and others in partnership, he added.
Reuben Kench, chair of the Railway Heritage Partnership board (Image: Gareth Lightfoot)
“It’s about how transport and travel opened horizons and connected communities. It’s also a story of how the north of England’s industrial inventiveness drove the industrial revolution and the economic growth of the UK.
“As I child I grew up with the railway story believing that the Rocket and the Rainhill trials was probably where it all started. The story of the genuine origins between Shildon and Stockton in 1825 was not, and is not now still, well told.
“Locomotion No. 1 has not featured in the national psyche and understanding of railways. So I think that’s something we ought to try and correct. This is where it started.
“There’s a real appetite to celebrate the contribution that the Stockton and Darlington Railway made to the development of Middlesbrough[6] and the growth of Teesside. It was the first branch line from the railway that effectively opened up and created Middlesbrough.”
Brusselton, near Shildon (Image: Johnathan Ratcliffe, of Friends of Stockton & Darlington Railway)
He said attractions would also embrace communities including Redcar[7], Darlington, County Durham and Saltburn[8], “the seaside town made possible by the railways”. It will link to outdoor events in Stockton and Darlington and the Lumiere light festival in Durham and including interactive exhibitions, projects, activities, conferences and seminars with international speakers, and investments in Darlington’s forthcoming Rail Heritage Quarter, Locomotion in Shildon and the Head of Steam Darlington Railway Museum.
“All those sites are gateways and help us to tell the story. They are key points on that route,” said Mr Kench. People are being urged to get involved, with a website[9] to apply for community and volunteer grants.
Paul Rutter, east coast route director for Network Rail, said: “All who made the Stockton and Darlington Railway happen were trailblazers and it is so special that we can commemorate their achievements in this way while forging our own path for the future of the rail industry.”
References
- ^ Stockton (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Darlington (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Preston Park Hall and Museum (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ major unique exhibition space (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Yarm (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Middlesbrough (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Redcar (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Saltburn (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ website (sdr200.co.uk)