Darlington

Darnton has a bonny, bonny church
With a broach upon the steeple
But Darnton is a mucky, mucky town
And mair sham on the people.
/King James of Scotland, 1603/

The Darlington of today is no longer "mucky". The pleasant market town lies in the Tees Valley, and with its population of over eighty thousand (greater than that of Durham City) it is arguably the capital of the southern County Durham. The town was founded on the River Skerne in Saxon times. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Dearthington, which meant the settlement of Deornoth's people.

One of the nicest architectural attractions in Darlington is the parish church of St Cuthbert, built in the 12th century by Hugh Pudsey, Prince-Bishop of Durham (the spire was added in the 14th century). Adjacent to the Market Place, it is affectionately known as the Lady of the North.

In the early nineteenth century Edward Pease, a member of the local Quaker community, rejected the plan to build a canal for the shipment of coal from south west Durham collieries to the Tees estuary at Stockton and suggested using steam locomotives instead. He employed George Stephenson to design the locomotives and develop the railway.

On September 27th 1825 the Stockton and Darlington Railway - the world's first public railway - was opened. Stephenson's "Locomotion Number One", which was built for the occasion, can be seen at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum. The site, located on the 1825 route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, encompasses three significant buildings of the 1840s and 50s: the North Road passenger station, the goods shed and Hopetown carriage works. Apart from the Locomotion, the exhibits include the "Derwent", the earliest surviving Darlington-built locomotive. Just a short distance from Darlington Railway Centre & Museum is the impressive Skerne Bridge, as depicted in John Dobbin's water-colour painting of the opening of the railway and featured on the reverse of the £5 Bank of England note.

In summer the Locomotion - recreated in flowers - can also be seen straddling the gentlemen's toilet on High Row in the town centre. Darlington has won numerous awards in regional and national "in bloom" competitions.

It is a great town to do some serious shopping, and there are plenty of restaurants, bars and cafés to rest in. The Dolphin Leisure Centre offers many sport and leisure options, while the Stressholme Golf Centre and South Park provide a great outdoor leisure option.

On top of the attractions within the town, Darlington is surrounded by many pretty little villages. Of particular interest are the remains of a Roman fort at Piercebridge, and the village of Croft on Tees, where Lewis Carroll lived as a young boy.

Visit Darlington
Darlington and the Tees Vale Page
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Arts Centre and Civic Theatre

The Shoulder Of Mutton Inn - Kirby Hill - Richmond
North Yorkshire - DL11 7JH
Telephone: 01748 822772
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