Oldest shed included in darlingtOn ‘s&d200’ plan
Stockton & Darlington Railway goods shed to form part of commemorative ‘heritage quarter’.
What is thought to be the world’s oldest surviving railway building still in railway use looks to have a secure future as part of Darlington’s planned ‘heritage quarter’.
The 1833-built Stockton & Darlington Railway goods shed at the town’s North Road station, currently occupied by the Darlington Railway Preservation Society, was placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register in October 2019.
This followed an inspection the previous month by specialist conservation architects that revealed “a number of structural defects” in the Grade II-listed building.
However, discussions are under way regarding a relocation of the DRPS elsewhere on the site, allowing the goods shed to be restored with a café, toilets and retail space as the reception area for the proposed ‘Darlington Rail Heritage Quarter’.
The shed requires an estimated £225,000 worth of urgent repairs in the next 12 to 24 months, for which Historic England has allocated £100,000, while the remainder will come from the overall project budget.
The ‘masterplan’ for the ‘heritage quarter’ is being drawn up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, in 2025.
The adjacent Head of Steam Museum, housed in the former S&DR North Road station building, will become the centrepiece of the ‘heritage quarter’, with free admission for all visitors after renovations are complete, and new ‘immersive’ and ‘virtual reality’ experiences to tell the story of the S&DR. It is also proposed to return working steam to the site for special events.
As detailed in SR492, the Tees Valley Combined Authority has allocated £20 million of funding to the project, of which £2m has already been released to Darlington Borough Council to begin work on the project.
The overall plan is estimated to cost in excess of £50m, but the TVCA funding is expected to be sufficient for Phase 1 of the project, due to be completed by 2024. An “expression of interest” to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for £5m of funding did not reach Stage 1 approval, but other external funding sources will be sought.
As reported in SR498, the first phase of the project includes a new engineering base for the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, currently occupying part of Hopetown carriage works.
Early discussions have been held regarding options for the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group, which uses the other section of the Hopetown building. Depending on the outcome of these talks, the works could provide new accommodation for the DRPS.
Other historic railway structures in the area, including the 1861-built S&DR engine shed at Whessoe Road, and Skerne Bridge, the oldest operating railway bridge in the world, are included in the ‘masterplan’. Development of the Whessoe Road shed is part of the second phase of the project expected to take place after 2025, and its potential uses are still to be explored.
Members of Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet were due to discuss the proposals for the first time on January 7, and officials are currently working on a full business case which, once approved, will allow TVCA to release the remaining £18m of funds.