North East reveals its festival to celebrate rail bicentenary

Local authorities in the North East of England have revealed the first celebrations to mark the bicentenary of the first passenger rail journey nearly 200 years ago. At Darlington Hippodrome today, they launched a major local festival starting in March next year to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in September.

The nine-month S&DR200 Festival will take place across County Durham and Tees Valley from March to November 2025. The Festival is inspired by the first journey on the S&DR in the north east of England, which gave birth to the modern railway that went on to connect places, people and communities all over the world. 

S&DR200, a major partner of year-long national campaign Railway 200, will celebrate the region’s pioneering past and look forward to its future with a series of free large-scale outdoor events, exhibitions and new art commissions in its public spaces, libraries, and world-class museums.

"The opening of S&DR led to the birth of the modern railways which went on to change the world," said Alison Clark, Head of Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism at Durham County Council, representing the S&DR200 Board. "As a board we want the S&DR200 Festival to accelerate the ongoing transformation across the region. We want to deliver a festival that will spark renewed local, regional, national and international interest in the pioneering story of the S&DR, as well as providing unforgettable experiences for all our visitors. We are grateful for the joint investment of our three local authorities, Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. We would also like to thank all our funding partners to date, in particular Arts Council England, Tees Valley Combined Authority and The National Lottery Heritage Fund who have recognised that this festival and the ambitions it is setting out for the future are of national and international significance."

The S&DR was established as a 26-mile-long mainline to transport coal and other mixed goods from the mines of south Durham to the River Tees at Stockton, via Darlington, Shildon and Yarm. The first steam locomotive to run on the line was called Locomotion No. 1 (originally called Active), which pulled several waggons of coal and goods, and a carriage called Experiment with fare-paying passengers. The key figures of the S&DR included investors and company directors Edward Pease, a retired wool merchant from Darlington, his son Joseph Pease and Jonathan Backhouse from the Darlington bank of the same name and leading engineers of the time George Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth.

The celebrations will include a re-enactment of the first journey on the S&DR, taking place on 26, 27 and 28 September 2025. A newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1, the passenger carriage Experiment and coal waggons will run on sections of the original S&DR line over three days. Spectators will be able to see the train at designated locations and visit special events organised along the route over the three days. The Anniversary Celebration is sponsored by LNER and the festival team is working with Network Rail on route planning and delivery of the event.

The festival’s major museum partners are Hopetown Darlington, Locomotion in Shildon (part of the Science Museum Group), Preston Park Museum & Grounds in Stockton-on-Tees and The Story in Durham City. The first three of these attractions are situated on the original S&DR route and their permanent displays include interpretation around the S&DR and all are accessible by rail. All four partners will host special festival activities in 2025.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone was established in 2018 to help rejuvenate and restore the historic railway and to help transform the area into a major heritage attraction and visitor destination. To date £57 million has been spent developing the region's cultural infrastructure ahead of the festival, notably through significant investment in the festival’s partner sites: Preston Park Museum & Grounds (part of a £20 million Government investment), Hopetown Darlington (£37 million) and Locomotion in Shildon (£8 million). The area contains one of the world’s most important groups of surviving early railway buildings such as Grade II* Heighington Station (the world’s oldest railway station), Coal Drops in Shildon, as well as Grade I Skerne Bridge, the world’s oldest operational railway bridge.

“S&DR200 is using a world-changing historical event that took place in the region as a starting point to explore the future. The festival programme will cater for all visitors including the railway enthusiasts as well as engage a younger generation, by finding new and inventive ways to tell the pioneering S&DR story. We will create magical moments using art, creativity and culture to show international audiences and young people how science, technology, engineering, arts and maths can not only change your own life but transform the world,” said Niccy Hallifax, S&DR200 Festival Director.

Major museum programmes

Hopetown Darlington will present:

●  A display of early locomotives from April to July 2025. These pioneering early locomotives, including the original Locomotion No.1, designed by George Stephenson and held in the Science Museum Group’s collection, were critical to the future success of the railways in the UK and around the world. With loans from the Science Museum Group, National Museum Wales and Beamish Museum.

●  An immersive steam-inspired installation from July to September 2025. Studio Swine (Japan/UK) will create a sensory installation combined with digital art, inspired by the use of steam as a source of power by the designers of early locomotives.

●  An exhibition on the future of transport and skills from July to September 2025 will look at the rail industry in the era of climate crisis and how a growing green technologies sector in Teesside can provide opportunity for the region. The exhibition will also enable visitors to create a train for the 22nd century using virtual reality software. In partnership with industry partners including LNER.

Locomotion in Shildon will present:

●  An exhibition of Railway Firsts in Main Hall in recognition of the innovation of 200 years of railways.

●  The Young Railway Photographer of the Year exhibition. Supported by the Railway Photographic Society.

●  Events and programming exploring the future of transport and skills from March to September 2025 which will complement an exhibition at Hopetown Darlington looking at the same theme.

●  Three line-ups of iconic locomotives and rail vehicles that will speak to 200 years of railway history.

●  Talks and lectures aimed at railway enthusiasts.

●  Activities for families and adults every weekend and throughout the school holidays.

Preston Park Museum & Grounds will present:

●  A ‘Corridors of Connection’ installation in 2025. Artist Rebecca Louise Law will present an installation of botanical objects, including flowers, pinecones and seed pods all collected from the museum’s walled garden and local growers in the Tees Valley. The installation will look at how railways play a vital role in connecting wildlife habitats across our countryside. In partnership with the biodiversity team at Network Rail.

●  A display of national artworks in 2025. The new exhibition space will host several artworks of national significance, related to the railways and the communities they served, never seen in the region before.

●  A digital installation in 2025. Artist Yann Nguema (France) will create a digital and sensory installation in the new exhibition space. The piece ‘Perfume’ will feature scent and is inspired by pollination that occurs as a result of trains travelling through the countryside.

●  The Big Build. A living sculpture, in the grounds, a project co-designed with Grace Choi, in collaboration with women, those that identify as women, and non-binary people in acknowledgement of the lack of representation of women and their roles in the documented S&DR story.

●  An interactive, family-focused and large-scale playscape in 2025, inspired by railways and invention, in the new exhibition space.

The Story in Durham City will present:

● An exhibition exploring two centuries of transformation following the opening of the S&DR, which spurred economic development and transformed the socio-economic fabric of the region. This will be told through authentic voices from The Story’s collections of letters, diaries, court papers, and other day to day records. The railway facilitated the movement of goods and people on an unprecedented scale, fostering trade, industry, and urbanisation, and was the catalyst for the growth of local towns.

The Art of Rail Design exhibition will tour several libraries in the region. It will feature original historic artefacts relating to S&DR including maps, blueprints, and letters. Thanks to partners including the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), The Common Room, National Railway Museum and Teesside Archives.

Exhibitions related to S&DR are also taking place at several museums and galleries in County Durham and Tees Valley including an exhibition at the Mining Art Gallery in the Auckland Project in Bishop Auckland at the Bowes Museum and Raby Castle in County Durham.

New public artworks and murals

A series of new public artworks will be installed over the nine months of the festival including a sculpture by James Bawn (UK) and kinetic sculpture by Ivan Black (UK) inspired by train signalling, in collaboration with young producers and writers, poets and local engineering students.

Outdoor spectacles

• The festival opens with a large-scale visual spectacle in Bishop Auckland including a light projection and drone show on 29 March 2025, charting 200 years of rail travel and revealing the global impact the railways have had since 1825. Created by imitating the dog and SKYMAGIC.
• A two-part Ghost Train outdoor performance will take place on 21 September 2025 in Darlington and 28 September in Stockton. This will feature a procession of large-scale art installations representing the world’s most pivotal modern inventions through Darlington, and a spectacular re-imagining of Locomotion No. 1 in Stockton the following week. Co-produced by Walk the Plank and Avanti Display.
• The celebrations will include a re-enactment of the first journey on the S&DR, taking place on 26, 27 and 28 September 2025. A newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1, the passenger carriage ‘Experiment’ and coal wagons will run on sections of the original S&DR line over three days. Spectators will be able to see the train at designated locations and enjoy an accompanying programme of special events organised along the route. The Festival is working with partners Network Rail and LNER on the Anniversary Celebration.

Participatory events

• A nationwide challenge for primary and secondary aged children. The S&DR Invention Challenge from Little Inventors invites children to use their creativity and imagination to invent a new and innovative vision of future rail travel
• The S&DR Young Producers Programme for 16 to 24 years olds will give members the opportunity to further their skills in a range of areas including creative producing, curating,marketing and projects with Tees Valley Museum Group (an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation) and Sparks will launch new teacher resources on the S&DR and virtual classes for young people to develop creative, digital and problem-solving skills.
• A Memorable Journey - a mass participation art project, happening over the nine months of the festival. Visitors to festival venues, plus school children, care home residents and communities in County Durham and Tees Valley will be invited to decorate a wooden peg doll inspired by a personal memorable journey, which they will write on an accompanying tag. These will be installed at a venue in autumn 2025 before being photographed, digitised and archived, to represent a snapshot of travel memories.
• Interactive treasure hunt game launched in spring 2025. Designed by TUCan at Teesside University, players of the game will collect tokens to build a series of locomotives with virtual reality elements. This game will enable a younger and international audience to enjoy the world-changing story of S&DR at points along the original line.
• Women of the World event in Durham City in October 2025. The first WOW event in the north east of England will be packed with unmissable talks and performances. The line-up will take a fascinating look at women’s roles in the history of S&DR, as well as celebrating achievements and stories from women, girls, and non-binary people past and present from the region and beyond. There’ll be a special programme for local schools on Friday, followed by a day-long WOW Festival on Saturday, featuring big ideas from incredible women, family fun and more. This is a festival for everyone.

S&DR200 Fringe

S&DR200 Fringe Festival will take place across 2025, giving community and art organisations the chance to celebrate this special year in their own unique way. The Fringe includes a series of walks by the Friends of Stockton & Darlington, events along the newly opened S&DR Discovery Trail and events and activity made possible through the S&DR 26 Miles Community Grant Scheme, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.