ROCKET TO THE TOON
Could it be coming home for good for the first time in more than a century..?
Reporter A BOLD bid is being made to bring Stephenson’s Rocket home to the cradle of the railways.
Once it has taken pride of place at this summer’s Great Exhibition of the North, Robert Stephenson’s invention should remain on Tyneside, Coun Kim McGuinness said.
The Rocket, made in Newcastle in 1829 on Forth Banks, has been on display at London’s Science Museum since 1862.
But it will be loaned to Newcastle’s Discovery Museum between June 22 and September 9.
The Rocket has only been loaned out once before - at a Japanese exhibition in 1998 - but there have been calls for it to come home.
Cabinet member for culture and communities at Newcastle City Council, Kim McGuinness, told colleagues the Rocket should be a lasting legacy after the exhibition.
She said: “As part of the exhibition, the Stephenson Rocket is returning home to Newcastle, on loan from London’s Science Museum Group.
“The Rocket was built here at a time when the North really was a powerhouse, and led the world in terms of innovation and vision. It went on to unite two more great northern cities, and moved forward the world of steam locomotion and the industrial revolution.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if as the North unites to take control of its own future, we looked in to the possibility of keeping more of our inspirational heritage in the region?
“The Rocket is a wonderful part of our history, and I think a permanent display here in its home city just feels right, so hopefully that’s something we could look at.”
The Rocket would act as an inspiration to future generations if it remained in Newcastle, she added.
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is currently working how it will accommodate it at the Discovery.
Meanwhile, announcement is expected from the Science Museum on its future next week.
A spokesperson, said: ‘We’re delighted to be working closely with the Great Exhibition of the North team to bring Stephenson’s Rocket to Discovery Museum from June 22 to September 9.
“Hopefully this locomotive, manufactured by Robert Stephenson & Company at Newcastle’s Forth Street Works in 1829, will be a highlight for visitors to the city this summer. We will soon be announcing future plans for this important example of British rail innovation.”
The birthplace of George Stephenson, who designed Rocket with son Robert, remains closed to the public after the National Trust shut it last year.
The cottage in Wylam was closed last January at the time the Trust said it hoped the closure would be temporary. an Coun Kim McGuinness