Museums

The S&DR200 Festival will work with several museums and galleries across the UK to celebrate the story of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) over the course of 2025.

Our three main museum partners are world-class venues that are all situated on the original route that the steam train, Locomotion No. 1, took on the first stretch of the S&DR line from Shildon to Stockton via Darlington.

They are Locomotion in Shildon, Hopetown Darlington and Preston Park Museum and Grounds in Stockton-on-Tees.

Each museum will have new exhibition and event activity relating to the S&DR story taking place in 2025.

Other museums and galleries in the region will present S&DR-related exhibitions and displays including an exhibition at the Mining Art Gallery at the Auckland Project in Bishop Auckland, the Bowes Museum in County Durham, Raby Castle in Darington and MIMA in MIddlesbrough.

Locomotion

Locomotion, located in Shildon, is the world's first railway town. It is home to the largest undercover collection of heritage rail vehicles in the world.

The museum celebrates early pioneers of the S&DR and their impact on the global railway story, displaying highlights from the national collection of rail vehicles. It is home to historic vehicles such as the Locomotion No 1 which is the first steam-powered locomotive to run on a public railway in 1825, a royal carriage set used by Queen Alexandria aswell as wagons produced in Shildon works. It also includes the Deltic prototype which revolutionised express services on the East Coast Main Line and the HST power car 43102 being the world's fastest diesel locomotive.

The on-site workshop allows visitors to watch the engineering skills of staff and volunteers who restore a wide variety of vehicles, including a Class 306 which transformed post-war commuter travel. 

Visit the Locomotion website for more information.

Hopetown

Hopetown Darlington  

Opening in summer 2024, Hopetown Darlington, the region's newest visitor attraction, is a 7.5-acre site encompassing a railway museum, exhibitions, festivals, events, café and shop, a railway-themed adventure play park and time travel immersive experience ride, and the chance to view live engineering in action. This ambitious project will attract visitors from all over the world.

Visit the Hopetown Darlington website for more information.

Preston Park

Preston Park Museum and Grounds  

Preston Park Museum and Grounds is being transformed into an innovative and inspiring visitor destination through the creation of a bold, modern extension with a large exhibition space to allow for nationally significant touring exhibitions and loans. The new, two-storey building will provide a space to showcase more of the museum's collections for visitors to get up-close and personal with. Plans also include a car park extension and wider park improvements, including a new café and toilets, repurposing of the aviary and new interpretation to highlight the important S&DR story.

Visit the Preston Park Museum and Grounds website for more information.

The Story

The Story in Durham City is home to ancient archives and archaeological finds, records of bravery and life-changing events. It has some of the country's most important heritage collections and provides an elegant backdrop for the Register Office's ceremonies and events.

Available to everyone in person and digitally, these precious collections follow people's lives from birth to death and allow us to see snippets of a person's life from the moment their birth is registered. You can find information about their homes, communities, schooling, health, marriage, celebrations and working life.

The Story combines period property restoration with state-of-the-art modern facilities. It provides a place where visitors can discover the past, celebrate the present and create the future of County Durham - because this is our story and we're all part of it.

Visit The Story website for more information.

The Museums Team

The Museum teams are a vital part of our extended festival team lead by ( left to right) : Leona White-Hannet at Hopetown, Sara Fortune at Preston Park Museum and Sarah Price at Locomotion.