Darlington
Encyclopedia
Darlington is a market town
in the Borough of Darlington
, part of the ceremonial county
of County Durham
, England. It lies on the small River Skerne
, a tributary of the River Tees
, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population
of 97,838 as of 2001. The town owes much of its development to the influence of local Quaker families during the Victorian era
, and it is famous as the location of the world's first passenger railway
. It is popularly known by locals as "Darlo". The railway station
is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line
.
settlement. It has an historic market area in the town centre. Built in 1183, the Grade I listed St Cuthbert
's Church is one of the most important early English churches in the north of England.
Visiting during the 18th century, Daniel Defoe
noted that the town was eminent for "good bleaching of linen, so that I have known cloth brought from Scotland to be bleached here". He also disparaged the town, writing that it had "nothing remarkable but dirt" (the roads were probably unpaved at the time).
The Durham Ox
came from Darlington.
family and the Backhouse
family were prominent employers and philanthropists. Darlington's most famous landmark, the clock tower, was a gift to the town by the industrialist Joseph Pease in 1864. Its face was produced by T. Cooke & Sons
of York
, and the tower bells were cast by John Warner & Sons
of nearby Norton on Tees. The 91 acre
South Park was re-developed into its current form in 1853, with financial backing from the Backhouse
family. Alfred Waterhouse
, who designed London's Natural History Museum
and Manchester Town Hall
designed the Grade II listed Victorian Market Hall in 1860, and Backhouse's Bank
(now Barclays) in 1864, the latter taking three years to complete. George Gordon Hoskins
is responsible for much of the town's architecture from this period, such as The King's Hotel. The Darlington Free Library was built with funding from Edward Pease
, and opened in 1884.
. This is celebrated in the town at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
. The world's first passenger rail journey was between Shildon
and Stockton-on-Tees
via Darlington, on the Stockton and Darlington Railway
in 1825.
The town later became an important centre for railway manufacturing, with three significant works. The largest of these was the main line locomotive works
, known as North Road Shops, opened in 1863 and closed in 1966. Another was Robert Stephenson
& Co. (colloquially: "Stivvies"), who moved to Darlington from Newcastle upon Tyne
in 1902, became Robert Stephensons & Hawthorns in 1937, were absorbed by English Electric
around 1960, and closed by 1964. The third was Faverdale Wagon Works, established in 1923 and closed in 1962, which in the 1950s was a UK pioneer in the application of mass-production techniques to the manufacture of railway goods wagons.
To commemorate the town's contribution to the railways, David Mach
's 1997 work "Train" is located alongside the A66, close to the original Stockton-Darlington railway. It is a life-size brick sculpture of a steaming locomotive emerging from a tunnel, made from 185,000 "Accrington Nori" bricks. The work had a budget of £760,000.
For 19 years, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
built a 50th member of the long withdrawn LNER Peppercorn Class A1
engine, called 'Tornado' and numbered 60163, from scratch in the 1853 former Stockton and Darlington Railway Carriage Works at Hopetown. Many of the original fleet had been built at Darlington Works locomotive works
, in the late 1940's.
, particularly bridge building. Bridges built in Darlington are found as far away as the River Nile and the River Amazon. The large engineering firm Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
still has its headquarters in the town. The firm built the Sydney Harbour Bridge
, the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
and the Humber Bridge
, among others. One of the leading engine building firms, Cummins
, has major premises in Darlington, and it houses the industrial headquarters of AMEC
.
In 1870, The Northern Echo
newspaper was launched. It is based in Priestgate and is a long-standing part of life in the North East. Although a local paper, it is a full-bodied newspaper in its own right and includes national and international news in its scope. William Thomas Stead
was a notable editor of The Northern Echo. Opposite The Northern Echo building is The William Stead public house
, restaurant
and beer garden
. It was announced on 9 April 2011 that The Northern Echo are to relocate in way for a Cornmill Shopping Centre expansion.
The town centre has undergone a full refurbishment entitled The Pedestrian Heart, which has seen the majority of the town centre pedestrianised. Initially, the project received criticism surrounding changes to public transport, and removal of Victorian features along High Row. There is now growing evidence, however, that the now-completed changes are meeting with local approval.
In 2007 planning permission was granted for a new shopping centre to replace the dated and unsuccessful Queen Street shopping centre. Planned to open in 2010, the project has sinced stalled, with any works yet to take place.
In August 2008 the King's Hotel in the town centre was devastated by fire, severely damaging the roof and 100 bedrooms. Several shops, including Woolworths
, were damaged and had to close for weeks afterwards. No one was killed in the blaze.
, which separated it from the non-metropolitan county of Durham
for administrative purposes. The current MP
is Jenny Chapman
.
, and is often slated as 'the gateway to the Tees Valley'. Although the Tees Valley is often known for its industry, comparatively little in the way of industry exists in Darlington.
Darlington is close to the Pennines
, the Yorkshire Dales and Cleveland Hills
; the North York Moors
are also within easy reach of the town. Both the River Tees
and River Skerne
pass through the town, the River Skerne later joining the River Tees which then flows into the North Sea
.
Darlington railway station
(Bank Top) lies on the East Coast Main Line
. There are also local services from the historic North Road railway station
and associated Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
.
, Harrowgate Village
and Beaumont Hill
and to the northeast are Whinfield
are Haughton Le Skerne
. To the east is Eastbourne with Firthmoor and Skerne Park
to the south and situated in the west end are Hummersknott
, Mowden and Blackwell
. Finally, to the northwest are Branksome
, Cockerton
, Faverdale
, The Denes
, West Park
, High Grange and Pierremont which is associated with the notable Henry Pease (MP)
.
The suburbs to the south west and west of the town centre are the most affluent, featuring large detached homes in leafy streets; especially the suburb of Blackwell which features a golf course and a rugby football club. The suburbs to the north of the town centre are the least affluent areas of the town.
Running somewhat parallel to Woodland Road from Cockerton
village towards the centre of Darlington is the area called The Denes
which is mainly semi-detached and terraced housing surrounding valley areas of public park and recreation land. Darlington Memorial Hospital
on Hollyhurst Road, lies in the corridor between Woodland Road and The Denes.
in Germany. Amiens
in France.
Orange are the largest private sector employers in the town, hiring 2500 people. Nevertheless there are major engineering sites, with both Cleveland Bridge
and the industrial arm of AMEC
headquartered in the town. Cummins
also operate a major engine building site.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Darlington at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Darlington is historically a market town with a well established weekly outdoor market and a thriving indoor market located underneath the town clock on Prebend Row. Also located on Prebend Row is the Cornmill Shopping centre which is the main retail area of Darlington. The market square is one of the biggest in the country.
Darlington attracts people from a wide area to its newly pedestrianised town centre. The retail is remaining strong even through the economic downturn of 2009. House of Fraser
and Marks & Spencer
both have outlets in the town centre, with Debenhams
scheduled to open in 2014.
s. The smaller but well-used Arts Centre, founded in 1982, features smaller events, film screenings and more experimental material.
The Rhythm'n'Brews festival is a music and real ale festival normally held in early autumn, with many rock, blues and jazz acts playing at various venues around Darlington, as well as a Campaign for Real Ale
(CAMRA) run bar at the Arts Centre.
The Forum Music Centre, opened in 2004, hosts regular live music events, from Ska and Punk to Indie and Classic Rock. Also runs a popular comedy club. As well as live music, the facility houses a state of the art recording studio and several rehearsal rooms. The Carmel Rhythm Club is another place for music. Held at Carmel College
in the Hummersknott
end of town. A charitable organisation for the Carmel PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) attracts many large bands in the genre of rhythm and blues
.
Darlington town centre has built a strong focus on independent shopping, giving a breathing space from the usually high street national stores and introducing a varied and popular shopping experience. Grange Road has a number of expensive and attractive designer stores, Duke Street houses art galleries and restaurants and nestled between the two is Skinnergate, which holds the greatest variety of interesting and original stores.
Darlington Dog Show has been a championship event since 1969. It was normally held in September on the showground in South Park, although in more recent years it has moved to Ripon
.
Football teams in the town are Darlington
, a team in the Football Conference
, and Darlington Railway Athletic
, a team in the Northern League. The rugby teams are Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
who play in National League Three and Darlington RFC
. Cricket clubs are Darlington Cricket Club and Darlington Railway Athletic Cricket Club. The Darlington 10K road run is held every August, and attracts several thousand competitors. The Dolphin Centre, which provides a wide range of sporting facilities, was opened by Roger Bannister
in 1982, and received a £5 m refurbishment in 2006 and was later given a new official opening by Redcar
athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Darlington Library, an impressive Grade II listed building situated in Crown Street, was a gift to the town from Edward Pease, a leading Darlington Quaker. Edward Pease (1834–1880) left £10,000 in his will to build either a free library in Darlington or to be used for other educational purposes. The people of Darlington voted to adopt the Free Libraries Act and the town's first free library was officially opened on 23 October 1885, by his daughter, Lady Lymington. The building now houses the Central Lending Department, Reference Library and Centre for Local Studies.
via North Road in the town centre. The £5.9 m five-mile (8 km) A66
Darlington Eastern Bypass opened on November 25, 1985 and is currently undergoing major reconstruction in an effort to reduce congestion at rush hour. The Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor, linking Central Park (Haughton Road) north-east of the town centre to a new roundabout on the A66, was opened in the summer of 2008. The A1(M) Darlington Bypass opened in May 1965.
Darlington is served by Darlington railway station
(or Darlington Bank Top railway station) which is on the East Coast Main Line
and has regular services to London Kings Cross, Leeds City station, Wakefield Westgate
, Edinburgh Waverley
, Manchester Picadilly
, Manchester Airport
and Newcastle
. North Road railway station
is situated just outside of Darlington town centre. Darlington Bank Top railway station also serves as the mainline interchange for Middlesbrough railway station
, which itself has few intercity services. Darlington railway station boasts a large Victorian
clock tower which, in the relatively low rise town centre, can be seen throughout large areas of the town.
and Scarlet Band. Darlington lost out on considerable public receipts when the municipal bus operator Darlingon Transport Company was placed into administration during an attempted privatisation
, due to continuing financial difficulties and the Darlington Bus War
.
Arriva run most of the bus services in the town, and Scarlet Band operate five routes, primarily the services with fewer passengers. Arriva used to run the routes now operated by Scarlet Band but Darlington Council re-tendered them due to financial trouble in early 2009 after the re-shuffle of the Bus system. .
Stagecoach used to operate in the town (since the Bus War) until 2007, when they sold their operations to Arriva. Arriva therefore became the main bus operator, operating nearly all routes in the town, until Scarlet Band became present in early 2009.
Darlington was chosen by the Department for Transport as one of three national Sustainable Travel Demonstration Towns (together with Peterborough and Worcester) in 2004, and has successfully delivered a three year research and marketing programme to promote sustainable travel choices under the brand name 'Local Motion'. It was also chosen as one of six cycling demonstration towns in October 2005, receiving £3 million worth of funding from the government and local authority money. The money has been spent over the course of three years on improving cycling facilities and routes, and linking the town to the national cycle route network. Darlington is the only place to win both sustainable travel and cycling demonstration town status.
(formerly Teesside Airport), which has flights to a few domestic locations across the UK and international flights to locations across Europe. The nearest larger airports are Newcastle Airport
(47.6 miles) and Leeds Bradford International Airport
(62.0 miles). Darlington also has direct rail links with Manchester Airport (124 miles).
(former grammar school
). There are many other schools including: Haughton Community School,Abbey Junior School, Branksome Science College, Longfield School, Hummersknott School & Language College, Carmel RC Technology College
, Hurworth School
, Haughton School which is now known as the Darlington Education Village, is a pioneering partnership of 3 schools providing inclusive learning to all. It includes Beaumont Hill School, Springfield Primary and Haughton School. Darlington College
is the newly built FE College. Teesside University opened a Darlington campus in 2011 offering higher education in the town to students and businesses. The town has other schools that have become Academies, this includes Eastbourne Comprehensive School, which has now become St. Aidan's Church Of England Academy. The town is also home to two independent schools
- Yarm at Raventhorpe (formally Raventhorpe Preparatory School), and Polam Hall
School which caters for boys and girls aged three to eighteen. A third independent school, Hurworth House School
in the neighbouring village of Hurworth-on-Tees
, closed in 2010.
and its sister weekly paper Darlington & Stockton Times
. A radio station of the TLRC
network, Star Radio North East
, broadcasts from the town.
In November 2009 the town appointed an official 'Twitterer in residence', the first of its kind in the UK. Mike McTimoney (known on Twitter
as TheDarloBard) is a local regular Twitter user who has been officially charged with tweeting for and about Darlington, and to help promote The Darlington Experiment 2.0, the town's social media
campaign.
, known as The Quakers because of the contributions made to the town by men such as Edward and Joseph Pease, members of the Religious Society of Friends
. The town's football club play at the 25,000 capacity Darlington Arena which opened on Neasham Road in 2003 after 120 years at Feethams
. In 2010 they were relegated from the Football League, 21 years after they suffered a similar fate where they were then promoted back from the Football Conference
at the first attempt. In the 2010–11 season Darlington won the FA Trophy
and will start the 2011–12 season in the Football Conference
Darlington's leading Rugby Union club is Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
who currently play in National Three.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the Borough of Darlington
Darlington (borough)
Darlington is a local government district and borough in North East England. In 2008 it had a resident population of 100,500 It borders County Durham to the north and west, North Yorkshire to the south along the line of the River Tees, and Stockton-on-Tees to the east.-Council:Traditionally part of...
, part of the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England. It lies on the small River Skerne
River Skerne
The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees it flows through County Durham in England.The Skerne is about long, the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees....
, a tributary of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 97,838 as of 2001. The town owes much of its development to the influence of local Quaker families during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, and it is famous as the location of the world's first passenger railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
. It is popularly known by locals as "Darlo". The railway station
Darlington railway station
Darlington railway station, also known as Darlington Bank Top, is the main railway station for the town of Darlington, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The station is located on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross....
is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
.
Early history
The name Darlington derives from the Anglo-Saxon Dearthington, which seemingly meant 'the settlement of Deornoth's people' but by Norman times the name had changed to Derlinton. During the 17th and 18th centuries the town was generally known by the name of Darnton. Darlington started life as an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement. It has an historic market area in the town centre. Built in 1183, the Grade I listed St Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
Saint Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop and hermit associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria, at that time including, in modern terms, northern England as well as south-eastern Scotland as far as the Firth of Forth...
's Church is one of the most important early English churches in the north of England.
Visiting during the 18th century, Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
noted that the town was eminent for "good bleaching of linen, so that I have known cloth brought from Scotland to be bleached here". He also disparaged the town, writing that it had "nothing remarkable but dirt" (the roads were probably unpaved at the time).
The Durham Ox
Durham Ox
The Durham Ox was a castrated bull which became famous in the early 19th century for its shape, size and weight. It was an early example of what became the Shorthorn breed of cattle, and helped establish the standards by which the breed was to be defined....
came from Darlington.
19th century industry
At the beginning of the 19th century, Darlington was still only a small market town. During the 19th century, powerful Quaker families such as the PeasePease family (Darlington)
The Pease family was a prominent English and mostly Quaker family associated with Darlington and County Durham and descended from Joseph Pease of Darlington, son of Edward Pease . They were 'one of the great Quaker industrialist families of the nineteenth century, who played a leading role in...
family and the Backhouse
Backhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank of Darlington was founded in 1774 by James Backhouse , a Quaker flax dresser and linen manufacturer, and his sons Jonathan and James ....
family were prominent employers and philanthropists. Darlington's most famous landmark, the clock tower, was a gift to the town by the industrialist Joseph Pease in 1864. Its face was produced by T. Cooke & Sons
T. Cooke & Sons
T. Cooke & Sons was a British instrument-making firm, founded by Thomas Cooke.The firm built the clock face on the Darlington clock tower.In 1922 it merged with Troughton & Simms to form Cooke, Troughton & Simms.-References:* *...
of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and the tower bells were cast by John Warner & Sons
John Warner & Sons
John Warner and Sons was a Bellfoundry in various locations in London, UK.-Notable Bells:Warners cast some notable bells including the clock chime at the Houses of Parliament, although Big Ben was later re-cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In 1913, Warners cast the peal of 12 bells at...
of nearby Norton on Tees. The 91 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
South Park was re-developed into its current form in 1853, with financial backing from the Backhouse
Backhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank of Darlington was founded in 1774 by James Backhouse , a Quaker flax dresser and linen manufacturer, and his sons Jonathan and James ....
family. Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
, who designed London's Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
and Manchester Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments....
designed the Grade II listed Victorian Market Hall in 1860, and Backhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank of Darlington was founded in 1774 by James Backhouse , a Quaker flax dresser and linen manufacturer, and his sons Jonathan and James ....
(now Barclays) in 1864, the latter taking three years to complete. George Gordon Hoskins
George Gordon Hoskins
George Gordon Hoskins FRIBA , was an English architect responsible for the design of several public buildings in the North East of England...
is responsible for much of the town's architecture from this period, such as The King's Hotel. The Darlington Free Library was built with funding from Edward Pease
Edward Pease
Edward Pease is the name of:* Edward A. Pease, former US congressman from IndianaSeveral members of the Darlington Pease family, including:* Edward Pease - Railway pioneer...
, and opened in 1884.
Railways
Darlington is known for its associations with the birth of railwaysRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
. This is celebrated in the town at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, also known as Head of Steam, is located on the 1825 route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which was the world's first steam powered passenger railway. Run by Darlington Borough Council the museum is located in the northern suburbs of Darlington in the...
. The world's first passenger rail journey was between Shildon
Shildon
Shildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
and Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
via Darlington, on the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
in 1825.
The town later became an important centre for railway manufacturing, with three significant works. The largest of these was the main line locomotive works
Darlington Works
Darlington railway works, known in the town as North Road Shops, was built in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England.-NER History:The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864...
, known as North Road Shops, opened in 1863 and closed in 1966. Another was Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...
& Co. (colloquially: "Stivvies"), who moved to Darlington from Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 1902, became Robert Stephensons & Hawthorns in 1937, were absorbed by English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
around 1960, and closed by 1964. The third was Faverdale Wagon Works, established in 1923 and closed in 1962, which in the 1950s was a UK pioneer in the application of mass-production techniques to the manufacture of railway goods wagons.
To commemorate the town's contribution to the railways, David Mach
David Mach
David Mach is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist.Mach's artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced found art objects. Typically these include magazines,vicious teddy bears,newspapers, car tyres, match sticks and coat hangers...
's 1997 work "Train" is located alongside the A66, close to the original Stockton-Darlington railway. It is a life-size brick sculpture of a steaming locomotive emerging from a tunnel, made from 185,000 "Accrington Nori" bricks. The work had a budget of £760,000.
For 19 years, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is a Darlington, England based charitable trust formed in 1990 for the primary purpose of completing the next stage of the locomotive heritage movement, the building a new steam locomotive. This project became the construction of 60163 Tornado, carried out by...
built a 50th member of the long withdrawn LNER Peppercorn Class A1
LNER Peppercorn Class A1
The London and North Eastern Railway Peppercorn Class A1 is a type of express passenger steam locomotive. Forty-nine original Peppercorn Class A1s were built to the design of Arthur Peppercorn during the early British Railways era, but all were scrapped with the discontinuation of steam,...
engine, called 'Tornado' and numbered 60163, from scratch in the 1853 former Stockton and Darlington Railway Carriage Works at Hopetown. Many of the original fleet had been built at Darlington Works locomotive works
Darlington Works
Darlington railway works, known in the town as North Road Shops, was built in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England.-NER History:The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864...
, in the late 1940's.
Engineering and journalism
Darlington has long been a centre for engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, particularly bridge building. Bridges built in Darlington are found as far away as the River Nile and the River Amazon. The large engineering firm Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company is a renowned bridge building and structural engineering company based in Darlington, England. It has been involved in many major projects including the Victoria Falls Bridge and the Humber Bridge.-History:...
still has its headquarters in the town. The firm built the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
, the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or Tees Transporter Bridge is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from...
and the Humber Bridge
Humber Bridge
The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, England, is a 2,220 m single-span suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It is the fifth-largest of its type in the world...
, among others. One of the leading engine building firms, Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
, has major premises in Darlington, and it houses the industrial headquarters of AMEC
AMEC
AMEC plc is a global consultancy, engineering and project management company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is focused on the oil and gas, minerals and metals, renewable energy, environment and infrastructure sectors and has offices in 40 countries worldwide...
.
In 1870, The Northern Echo
The Northern Echo
The Northern Echo is a leading daily regional morning newspaper, serving the North East of England. The paper is based in Priestgate, Darlington. Its covers national as well as regional news. It is one of the UK's most famous provincial newspaper titles....
newspaper was launched. It is based in Priestgate and is a long-standing part of life in the North East. Although a local paper, it is a full-bodied newspaper in its own right and includes national and international news in its scope. William Thomas Stead
William Thomas Stead
William Thomas Stead was an English journalist and editor who, as one of the early pioneers of investigative journalism, became one of the most controversial figures of the Victorian era. His 'New Journalism' paved the way for today's tabloid press...
was a notable editor of The Northern Echo. Opposite The Northern Echo building is The William Stead public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
. It was announced on 9 April 2011 that The Northern Echo are to relocate in way for a Cornmill Shopping Centre expansion.
Recent history
In 1939, Darlington had the most cinema seats per head of population in the United Kingdom.The town centre has undergone a full refurbishment entitled The Pedestrian Heart, which has seen the majority of the town centre pedestrianised. Initially, the project received criticism surrounding changes to public transport, and removal of Victorian features along High Row. There is now growing evidence, however, that the now-completed changes are meeting with local approval.
In 2007 planning permission was granted for a new shopping centre to replace the dated and unsuccessful Queen Street shopping centre. Planned to open in 2010, the project has sinced stalled, with any works yet to take place.
In August 2008 the King's Hotel in the town centre was devastated by fire, severely damaging the roof and 100 bedrooms. Several shops, including Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
, were damaged and had to close for weeks afterwards. No one was killed in the blaze.
Government
On 1 April 1997, the Borough of Darlington became a unitary authority areaUnitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, which separated it from the non-metropolitan county of Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
for administrative purposes. The current MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is Jenny Chapman
Jenny Chapman
Jennifer Chapman is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Darlington since the 2010 general election.-Personal life:...
.
Geography
Darlington is located in the Tees ValleyTees Valley
The Tees Valley is an area in the North East of England. It can be described as "greater Teesside" and consists of the four unitary authorities created by the breakup of the County of Cleveland in 1996: Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-On-Tees along with the borough of...
, and is often slated as 'the gateway to the Tees Valley'. Although the Tees Valley is often known for its industry, comparatively little in the way of industry exists in Darlington.
Darlington is close to the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, the Yorkshire Dales and Cleveland Hills
Cleveland Hills
The Cleveland Hills are a range of hills on the north-west edge of the North York Moors in North Yorkshire, England, overlooking Cleveland and Teesside. They lie entirely within the boundaries of the North York Moors National Park. Part of the long Cleveland Way National Trail runs along the...
; the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
are also within easy reach of the town. Both the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
and River Skerne
River Skerne
The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees it flows through County Durham in England.The Skerne is about long, the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees....
pass through the town, the River Skerne later joining the River Tees which then flows into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Darlington railway station
Darlington railway station
Darlington railway station, also known as Darlington Bank Top, is the main railway station for the town of Darlington, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The station is located on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross....
(Bank Top) lies on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. There are also local services from the historic North Road railway station
North Road railway station
North Road railway station serves the northern areas of Darlington and parts of southern County Durham, England. The station is on the Bishop Auckland branch of the Tees Valley Line and is operated by Northern Rail which provides all passenger train services on this line...
and associated Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, also known as Head of Steam, is located on the 1825 route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which was the world's first steam powered passenger railway. Run by Darlington Borough Council the museum is located in the northern suburbs of Darlington in the...
.
Suburbs
There are several suburbs of Darlington. In the north are Harrowgate HillHarrowgate Hill
Harrowgate Hill is an electoral ward and suburb in the borough of Darlington, England. It is situated north of Darlington town centre, and enclosed on two sides by railways — the East Coast Main Line to the east, and the Tees Valley Line to the west...
, Harrowgate Village
Harrowgate Village
Harrowgate Village is a place in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated directly to the north of Darlington....
and Beaumont Hill
Beaumont Hill
Beaumont Hill is a village in the borough of Darlington and the traditional and ceremonial counties of Durham in England, situated directly to the north of Darlington on the A167 road....
and to the northeast are Whinfield
Whinfield
Whinfield is a suburb of Darlington, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of the centre of Darlington...
are Haughton Le Skerne
Haughton Le Skerne
Haughton-le-Skerne is a suburb of Darlington in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated in the north east of Darlington. The suburb lies to the west of the River Skerne....
. To the east is Eastbourne with Firthmoor and Skerne Park
Skerne Park
Skerne Park is a predominantly council owned housing estate in the southern part of the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated on the southern edge of Darlington. Skerne Park comprises streets named after well-known British rivers, such as Tweed...
to the south and situated in the west end are Hummersknott
Hummersknott
Hummersknott is an area in the western end of Darlington, County Durham which consists of mainly post-war houses, and is closely linked to the Mowden....
, Mowden and Blackwell
Blackwell, County Durham
Blackwell is a suburb in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated towards the edge of the West End of Darlington, beside the River Tees. Blackwell consists of large 1930s style semi-detached and detached houses, and private, newly-built homes...
. Finally, to the northwest are Branksome
Branksome, County Durham
Branksome is a suburb of Darlington in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north-west of the town, close to Mowden, Cockerton, West Park and Faverdale....
, Cockerton
Cockerton
Cockerton is a suburb of Darlington, a town in County Durham, England. It is situated immediately to the north-west of Darlington town centre, close to Mowden, Branksome, West Park and Faverdale...
, Faverdale
Faverdale
Faverdale is a suburb of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is situated directly to the north west of Darlington, adjacent to Cockerton. It is the site of a small industrial estate although in the late 1990s and 2000s a number of modern housing developments were added to the area. This area...
, The Denes
The Denes
The Denes is a centrally located area of Darlington in the north east of England which consists mainly of semi-detached and 1900's terraced housing, surrounding valley areas of wooded public park and Cocker beck...
, West Park
West Park, Darlington
West Park is a predominantly residential area at the North West fringe of Darlington, County Durham, England.West Park is designed as a sustainable community development, consisting of residential properties, commercial properties, and a nature reserve...
, High Grange and Pierremont which is associated with the notable Henry Pease (MP)
Henry Pease (MP)
Henry Pease was a railway owner, peace campaigner and a Liberal politician who represented Durham South.Pease, a member of the Quaker Pease family of Darlington, was the fifth son of Edward Pease. He was a director of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and was responsible for the foundation of...
.
The suburbs to the south west and west of the town centre are the most affluent, featuring large detached homes in leafy streets; especially the suburb of Blackwell which features a golf course and a rugby football club. The suburbs to the north of the town centre are the least affluent areas of the town.
Running somewhat parallel to Woodland Road from Cockerton
Cockerton
Cockerton is a suburb of Darlington, a town in County Durham, England. It is situated immediately to the north-west of Darlington town centre, close to Mowden, Branksome, West Park and Faverdale...
village towards the centre of Darlington is the area called The Denes
The Denes
The Denes is a centrally located area of Darlington in the north east of England which consists mainly of semi-detached and 1900's terraced housing, surrounding valley areas of wooded public park and Cocker beck...
which is mainly semi-detached and terraced housing surrounding valley areas of public park and recreation land. Darlington Memorial Hospital
Darlington Memorial Hospital
Darlington Memorial Hospital provides acute hospital services for the area around Darlington, South Durham and parts of North Yorkshire. Its quality of services and use of resources were rated 'excellent' by the HealthCare Commission Ratings....
on Hollyhurst Road, lies in the corridor between Woodland Road and The Denes.
Twin towns
Darlington is twinned with: Mülheim an der RuhrMülheim
Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...
in Germany. Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in France.
Economy
Orange are the largest private sector employers in the town, hiring 2500 people. Nevertheless there are major engineering sites, with both Cleveland Bridge
Cleveland Bridge
Cleveland Bridge is a grade II* listed building located in the World Heritage Site of Bath, England. It is notable for the unusual lodges that adorn each corner in a style that could be likened to miniature Greek temples.-Location:...
and the industrial arm of AMEC
AMEC
AMEC plc is a global consultancy, engineering and project management company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is focused on the oil and gas, minerals and metals, renewable energy, environment and infrastructure sectors and has offices in 40 countries worldwide...
headquartered in the town. Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
also operate a major engine building site.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Darlington at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1,115 | 8 | 377 | 729 |
| 2000 | 1,192 | 6 | 417 | 768 |
| 2003 | 1,538 | 6 | 561 | 971 |
Darlington is historically a market town with a well established weekly outdoor market and a thriving indoor market located underneath the town clock on Prebend Row. Also located on Prebend Row is the Cornmill Shopping centre which is the main retail area of Darlington. The market square is one of the biggest in the country.
Darlington attracts people from a wide area to its newly pedestrianised town centre. The retail is remaining strong even through the economic downturn of 2009. House of Fraser
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
and Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
both have outlets in the town centre, with Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
scheduled to open in 2014.
Culture
The Civic Theatre is a popular arts venue in the town, hosting a mix of musicals, dramas, plays and pantomimePantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s. The smaller but well-used Arts Centre, founded in 1982, features smaller events, film screenings and more experimental material.
The Rhythm'n'Brews festival is a music and real ale festival normally held in early autumn, with many rock, blues and jazz acts playing at various venues around Darlington, as well as a Campaign for Real Ale
Campaign for Real Ale
The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent voluntary consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub...
(CAMRA) run bar at the Arts Centre.
The Forum Music Centre, opened in 2004, hosts regular live music events, from Ska and Punk to Indie and Classic Rock. Also runs a popular comedy club. As well as live music, the facility houses a state of the art recording studio and several rehearsal rooms. The Carmel Rhythm Club is another place for music. Held at Carmel College
Carmel RC Technology College
For schools of the same name, see Carmel College.Carmel College, A Catholic Academy is a secondary school on The Headlands in Hummersknott, Darlington, England. It also has a small sixth form college, admitting about 100 students each year, compared to the much larger Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form...
in the Hummersknott
Hummersknott
Hummersknott is an area in the western end of Darlington, County Durham which consists of mainly post-war houses, and is closely linked to the Mowden....
end of town. A charitable organisation for the Carmel PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) attracts many large bands in the genre of rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
.
Darlington town centre has built a strong focus on independent shopping, giving a breathing space from the usually high street national stores and introducing a varied and popular shopping experience. Grange Road has a number of expensive and attractive designer stores, Duke Street houses art galleries and restaurants and nestled between the two is Skinnergate, which holds the greatest variety of interesting and original stores.
Darlington Dog Show has been a championship event since 1969. It was normally held in September on the showground in South Park, although in more recent years it has moved to Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
.
Football teams in the town are Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
, a team in the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
, and Darlington Railway Athletic
Darlington Railway Athletic F.C.
Darlington Railway Athletic F.C. is a football club based in Darlington, England. In 1992 the club hit financial trouble and folded, but was reformed by Martyn Jackson in 1993.They first joined the Northern League in 1919, leaving in 1925...
, a team in the Northern League. The rugby teams are Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C are a rugby union team in the town of Darlington, County Durham. They currently play in the National Division Three North...
who play in National League Three and Darlington RFC
Darlington RFC
Darlington RFC are a rugby union team that are situated in the North East town of Darlington, County Durham. They play at Blackwell Meadows on the south side of the town running parallel to the town's A66 by-pass...
. Cricket clubs are Darlington Cricket Club and Darlington Railway Athletic Cricket Club. The Darlington 10K road run is held every August, and attracts several thousand competitors. The Dolphin Centre, which provides a wide range of sporting facilities, was opened by Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...
in 1982, and received a £5 m refurbishment in 2006 and was later given a new official opening by Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Darlington Library, an impressive Grade II listed building situated in Crown Street, was a gift to the town from Edward Pease, a leading Darlington Quaker. Edward Pease (1834–1880) left £10,000 in his will to build either a free library in Darlington or to be used for other educational purposes. The people of Darlington voted to adopt the Free Libraries Act and the town's first free library was officially opened on 23 October 1885, by his daughter, Lady Lymington. The building now houses the Central Lending Department, Reference Library and Centre for Local Studies.
Road
The Great North Road, now known as the A1, used to run directly through the centre of Darlington. It connects Darlington to Edinburgh, Sunderland and Newcastle in the North and Leeds, York and London in the South. The road has since been diverted to the west of the town; the original route is now the A167A167 road
The A167 is a road in North East England. Most of its route was formerly the A1 as most of it is the original route of the Great North Road until the A1 was re-routed with the opening of the A1 in the 1960s....
via North Road in the town centre. The £5.9 m five-mile (8 km) A66
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...
Darlington Eastern Bypass opened on November 25, 1985 and is currently undergoing major reconstruction in an effort to reduce congestion at rush hour. The Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor, linking Central Park (Haughton Road) north-east of the town centre to a new roundabout on the A66, was opened in the summer of 2008. The A1(M) Darlington Bypass opened in May 1965.
Rail
Darlington railway station
Darlington railway station, also known as Darlington Bank Top, is the main railway station for the town of Darlington, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The station is located on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross....
(or Darlington Bank Top railway station) which is on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
and has regular services to London Kings Cross, Leeds City station, Wakefield Westgate
Wakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield Westgate railway station is the mainline railway station for the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the western edge of the main city centre, on the opposite side from Wakefield's other station, Kirkgate.-Services:...
, Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
, Manchester Picadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
, Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport railway station
Manchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
and Newcastle
Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
. North Road railway station
North Road railway station
North Road railway station serves the northern areas of Darlington and parts of southern County Durham, England. The station is on the Bishop Auckland branch of the Tees Valley Line and is operated by Northern Rail which provides all passenger train services on this line...
is situated just outside of Darlington town centre. Darlington Bank Top railway station also serves as the mainline interchange for Middlesbrough railway station
Middlesbrough railway station
Middlesbrough railway station serves the large town of Middlesbrough in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The station is managed by First TransPennine Express and has two platforms...
, which itself has few intercity services. Darlington railway station boasts a large Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
clock tower which, in the relatively low rise town centre, can be seen throughout large areas of the town.
Bus
Bus transport in the town is provided by Arriva North EastArriva North East
Arriva North East is a division of the transport group Arriva. It is a major provider of bus services around north east England, alongside Stagecoach North East, and Go North East...
and Scarlet Band. Darlington lost out on considerable public receipts when the municipal bus operator Darlingon Transport Company was placed into administration during an attempted privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
, due to continuing financial difficulties and the Darlington Bus War
Darlington Bus War
The Darlington Bus War refers to a series of events between 1986 and 1995 in the UK bus industry in the town of Darlington, northern England, culminating in the wholesale entry of Stagecoach Group onto the Darlington bus scene, and the collapse of Darlington Corporation Transport.In November 1994,...
.
Arriva run most of the bus services in the town, and Scarlet Band operate five routes, primarily the services with fewer passengers. Arriva used to run the routes now operated by Scarlet Band but Darlington Council re-tendered them due to financial trouble in early 2009 after the re-shuffle of the Bus system. .
Stagecoach used to operate in the town (since the Bus War) until 2007, when they sold their operations to Arriva. Arriva therefore became the main bus operator, operating nearly all routes in the town, until Scarlet Band became present in early 2009.
Darlington was chosen by the Department for Transport as one of three national Sustainable Travel Demonstration Towns (together with Peterborough and Worcester) in 2004, and has successfully delivered a three year research and marketing programme to promote sustainable travel choices under the brand name 'Local Motion'. It was also chosen as one of six cycling demonstration towns in October 2005, receiving £3 million worth of funding from the government and local authority money. The money has been spent over the course of three years on improving cycling facilities and routes, and linking the town to the national cycle route network. Darlington is the only place to win both sustainable travel and cycling demonstration town status.
Airport
Five miles east of the town centre is Durham Tees Valley AirportDurham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
(formerly Teesside Airport), which has flights to a few domestic locations across the UK and international flights to locations across Europe. The nearest larger airports are Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
(47.6 miles) and Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
(62.0 miles). Darlington also has direct rail links with Manchester Airport (124 miles).
Education
The town has the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form CollegeQueen Elizabeth Sixth Form College
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, or QE, is a sixth form college on Vane Terrace in Darlington, County Durham, England.-History:It was established in 1970 on the site of the old Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, designed by George Gordon Hoskins...
(former grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
). There are many other schools including: Haughton Community School,Abbey Junior School, Branksome Science College, Longfield School, Hummersknott School & Language College, Carmel RC Technology College
Carmel RC Technology College
For schools of the same name, see Carmel College.Carmel College, A Catholic Academy is a secondary school on The Headlands in Hummersknott, Darlington, England. It also has a small sixth form college, admitting about 100 students each year, compared to the much larger Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form...
, Hurworth School
Hurworth School
Hurworth School Maths & Computing College is a comprehensive school situated in Hurworth-on-Tees located on Croft Road in the borough of Darlington, England.-Admissions:The school caters for around 650 students aged 11-16...
, Haughton School which is now known as the Darlington Education Village, is a pioneering partnership of 3 schools providing inclusive learning to all. It includes Beaumont Hill School, Springfield Primary and Haughton School. Darlington College
Darlington College
Darlington College is a further education college in Darlington, County Durham, England. The college campus is located at Central Park, Haughton Road. With support from Darlington Borough Council and Tees Valley Regeneration the college was built by "Shepard Construction", starting in 2004...
is the newly built FE College. Teesside University opened a Darlington campus in 2011 offering higher education in the town to students and businesses. The town has other schools that have become Academies, this includes Eastbourne Comprehensive School, which has now become St. Aidan's Church Of England Academy. The town is also home to two independent schools
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
- Yarm at Raventhorpe (formally Raventhorpe Preparatory School), and Polam Hall
Polam Hall
Polam Hall is an independent school located in the town of Darlington, County Durham, England. The Head is John Moreland.-History of Polam Hall :...
School which caters for boys and girls aged three to eighteen. A third independent school, Hurworth House School
Hurworth House School
Hurworth House School was an non-selective independent school located in Hurworth-on-Tees, in the borough of Darlington, England. There were approximately 130 pupils on the school roll, aged 4–16, as of July 2010....
in the neighbouring village of Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington, within the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the south of Darlington, next to the meeting point of the River Skerne and River Tees.-Amenities:...
, closed in 2010.
Media
Darlington is home to the regional daily paper The Northern EchoThe Northern Echo
The Northern Echo is a leading daily regional morning newspaper, serving the North East of England. The paper is based in Priestgate, Darlington. Its covers national as well as regional news. It is one of the UK's most famous provincial newspaper titles....
and its sister weekly paper Darlington & Stockton Times
Darlington & Stockton Times
The Darlington & Stockton Times also known as the D&S Times is a regional weekly newspaper serving the north-east of England. The paper is based in Priestgate, Darlington....
. A radio station of the TLRC
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
network, Star Radio North East
Star Radio North East
Star Radio North East is a radio station serving County Durham and North Yorkshire.-History:...
, broadcasts from the town.
In November 2009 the town appointed an official 'Twitterer in residence', the first of its kind in the UK. Mike McTimoney (known on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
as TheDarloBard) is a local regular Twitter user who has been officially charged with tweeting for and about Darlington, and to help promote The Darlington Experiment 2.0, the town's social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
campaign.
Sport
The town is home to the football team Darlington F.C.Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
, known as The Quakers because of the contributions made to the town by men such as Edward and Joseph Pease, members of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
. The town's football club play at the 25,000 capacity Darlington Arena which opened on Neasham Road in 2003 after 120 years at Feethams
Feethams
Feethams is a cricket ground and the former home of Darlington F.C. for 120 years, from 1883 to 2003, until the club moved into a new stadium on the outskirts of Darlington.- History :...
. In 2010 they were relegated from the Football League, 21 years after they suffered a similar fate where they were then promoted back from the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
at the first attempt. In the 2010–11 season Darlington won the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
and will start the 2011–12 season in the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
Darlington's leading Rugby Union club is Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C are a rugby union team in the town of Darlington, County Durham. They currently play in the National Division Three North...
who currently play in National Three.
Notable people
- George AllisonGeorge AllisonGeorge Frederick Allison was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager. He was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager.-Journalism career:...
- Football manager in the 1930s - James AtkinsonJames Atkinson (Persian scholar)James Atkinson was a surgeon, artist and Persian scholar - "a Renaissance man among Anglo-Indians" - Early life :Atkinson was born in Darlington, County Durham, England, the son of a woolcomber...
- (1780–1852) surgeon, artist and Persian scholar - Garry Williamson BarnesGarry Williamson BarnesGarry Williamson Barnes , formerly known as Garry Williamson, is an English footballer who played in the Football League for Darlington. He joined West Auckland Town before the 2010–11 season.-Career:...
- Footballer - Zoe BirkettZoe BirkettZoe Birkett was one of the youngest contestants on the ITV show, Pop Idol, being only 16 at the time.-Music career:...
- Singer and runner up on television show 'Pop IdolPop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
' - David J. BodycombeDavid J. BodycombeDavid J. Bodycombe is a puzzle author and games consultant. He is based in London, and his work is read by over 2 million people a day in the UK, and is syndicated to over 300 newspapers internationally...
- Games designer - Aidan ChambersAidan ChambersAidan Chambers is an award-winning British writer of novels for children and young adults.- Life and work :Born near Chester-le-Street, County Durham in 1934, Chambers was an only child, and a poor scholar; considered "slow" by his teachers, he did not learn to read fluently until the age of nine...
- Prize-winning children's author - Tom CraddockTom CraddockThomas "Tom" Craddock is an English footballer who plays for Oxford United as a striker.-Middlesbrough:Born in Darlington, County Durham, Craddock came through the youth system at Middlesbrough, and was a member of their FA Youth Cup winning side in 2003–04...
- Footballer - Wendy CraigWendy CraigWendy Craig is a BAFTA Award winning English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies, ...And Mother Makes Three and ...And Mother Makes Five...
- Actress - James CudworthJames CudworthJames I'Anson Cudworth was Locomotive Superintendent of the South Eastern Railway . He served in this capacity from 1845–76...
- Locomotive Superintendent for the South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
(1845–76) - Giles DeaconGiles DeaconGiles Deacon is a British fashion designer, best known for his playful designs and his collaboration with High Street retailer New Look. Deacon was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before founding his own label, GILES, in 2003...
- British Fashion Designer - J. M. DentJ. M. DentJoseph Malaby Dent was a British book publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series.Dent was born in Darlington in what is now the Britaania public house. After a short and unsuccessful stint as an apprentice printer he took up bookbinding...
- Publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series. - Frederick DickensFrederick DickensFrederick William Dickens was the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens and was Charles Dickens' younger brother, who lived with Charles when he moved on to Furnival's Inn in 1834...
- Charles Dickens' beloved scapegrace brother. He is buried in the West Cemetery. - Elizabeth Esteve-CollElizabeth Esteve-CollDame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, DBE, FRSA is a British academic and former museum director.-Career:Born as , the daughter of a Darlington bank clerk, she was educated at Darlington High School, Trinity College, Dublin and Birkbeck, University of London.She was the first woman director of a national...
(née Kingdon) b 1938, daughter of a Darlington bank clerk. She became director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London - the first woman to head a national arts institution. - Ruth GemmellRuth Gemmell-Early life:Ruth Gemmell was born in Darlington, Durham, England. She has three brothers. She attended an all girls school in Darlington called Polam Hall.Her parents divorced when she was a child and she moved with her mother to Darlington from Barnard Castle....
- Actress - Ian HamiltonIan Hamilton (critic)Robert Ian Hamilton was a British literary critic, reviewer, biographer, poet, magazine editor and publisher....
- Poet and editor - Ralph HodgsonRalph HodgsonRalph Hodgson , Order of the Rising Sun ,was an English poet, very popular in his lifetime on the strength of a small number of anthology pieces, such as The Bull. He was one of the more 'pastoral' of the Georgian poets...
- Poet - George Gordon HoskinsGeorge Gordon HoskinsGeorge Gordon Hoskins FRIBA , was an English architect responsible for the design of several public buildings in the North East of England...
- Architect responsible for many of Darlington's VictorianVictorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
buildings - Glenn HugillGlenn HugillGlenn Hugill is a British television presenter and producer.He was educated at Barnard Castle School and Christ Church, Oxford....
- Actor and TV producer - Richard HurndallRichard HurndallRichard Gibbon Hurndall was an English actor.-BBC radio:Hurndall was born in Darlington and he attended Claremont Preparatory School, Darlington and Scarborough College, before training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then appeared in several plays at Stratford-upon-Avon...
- Actor - Mary LawsonMary Lawson (actress)Mary Elizabeth Lawson was a stage and film actress during the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to her performances on stage and screen, Lawson was known for her romantic affairs, including with tennis player Fred Perry and her future husband, the married son of the Dame of Sark...
- Stage and film actress of 1920s and 1930s - Michael LeeMichael Lee (musician)Michael Lee was an English drummer who toured and recorded with former Led Zeppelin musicians Robert Plant and Jimmy Page....
- Drummer (Little Angels, The Cult, Page and Plant, Thin Lizzy) - Neil MaddisonNeil MaddisonNeil Maddison is an English former footballer and is currently youth coach at Darlington. His main position was in midfield, but has played in all outfield positions during his career.-Playing career:...
- Footballer - James MorrisonJames Morrison (footballer)James Clark Morrison is a Scottish international footballer who currently plays for West Bromwich Albion. His ability to run with the ball at pace makes him an effective option through the middle, as an attacking midfielder, or more often as a right winger...
- Footballer - Edward Pease (1767-1858) - Quaker industrialist
- Joseph Pease (1799-1872) - Industrialist; the first Quaker M.P.
- Vic ReevesVic ReevesJames Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
- Comedian and author - Katherine Maria Routledge, née PeaseKatherine RoutledgeKatherine Maria Routledge, née Pease was a British archaeologist who initiated the first true survey of Easter Island....
(1866–1935) archaeologist who undertook first scientific survey of Easter IslandEaster IslandEaster Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
archaeology. - Willie Smith - Twice world billiards champion (only entered twice).
- William Thomas SteadWilliam Thomas SteadWilliam Thomas Stead was an English journalist and editor who, as one of the early pioneers of investigative journalism, became one of the most controversial figures of the Victorian era. His 'New Journalism' paved the way for today's tabloid press...
- Editor of The Northern EchoThe Northern EchoThe Northern Echo is a leading daily regional morning newspaper, serving the North East of England. The paper is based in Priestgate, Darlington. Its covers national as well as regional news. It is one of the UK's most famous provincial newspaper titles....
; Victorian social commentator who died on the Titanic - Sir John SummersonJohn SummersonSir John Newenham Summerson CH CBE was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century....
- Architectural writer - David VareyDavid VareyDavid William Varey is a former English cricketer. Varey was a right-handed batsman who occasionally fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Darlington, County Durham....
(born 1961) - Former cricketer - Paul WaltonPaul WaltonPaul Walton is a British motoring journalist.His career started in 1999 working for Classic Cars magazine before moving to BBC Top Gear Magazine in 2002....
- Motoring Journalist - Giuseppe WilsonGiuseppe WilsonJoseph "Pini" Wilson is a former British-Italian footballer. Although born in Northern England, Wilson played the majority of his football career in Italy....
- Footballer, Lazio's second highest capped player - Darrien WrightDarrien WrightDarrien Wright partnered Hollie Robertson in the second series of BBC One show Strictly Dance Fever. They won the competition on 3 June 2006, beating Darren Bailey and Lana Williams into second place....
- Strictly Dance Fever winner
External links
- Darlington Borough Council
- Statistics about Darlington from the Office for National StatisticsOffice for National StatisticsThe Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... - Darlington Tourist Information
- Darlington Railway Centre & Museum
- Historic Postcards of Darlington
- http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/DarlingtonTees.html