Darlington
Locator map for the English administrative region of Darlington.
Unitary authority (borough status) in northeast England, created in 1997.
Area
197 sq km/76 sq mi
Towns and cities
Darlington (administrative headquarters); villages of Hurworth on Tees, Middleton St George, Heighington, Hurworth Place
Features
River Skerne flows through Darlington, River Tees forms southern boundary of authority; Darlington Railway Centre and Museum houses English engineer George Stephenson's locomotion engine, which first ran from here to Stockton in 1825; St Cuthbert's church (1180)
Industries
heavy engineering, iron and steel, vehicle components, bridge building, telecommunications, fitted furniture, textiles, knitting wool, agriculture
Population
(2001) 97,800
Famous people
Ralph Hodgson (poet)
Darlington
| Industrial town and administrative headquarters of Darlington unitary authority in northeast England, on the River Skerne near its junction with the Tees, 53 km/33 mi south of Newcastle; population (2001) 100,500. The town was part of the county of Durham until 1997. Industries include heavy engineering, bridge-building, and the production of iron and steel goods, knitting wool, vehicle components, textiles, and fitted kitchens and bathrooms (Magnet). The world's first passenger railway was opened between Darlington and Stockton on 27 September 1825. |
| Darlington occupies a central position in the Tees lowland, lying in the broad gap between the North Yorkshire moors and the Pennines, which forms the east coast passage between England and Scotland. |
History A local service and trading centre since the 10th century, Darlington developed as a wool and textiles centre until the 19th century. Its industrial importance increased in the 19th century when the first freight railway to carry passengers was constructed with the sponsorship of Edward Pease, a local Quaker businessman. George Stephenson's Locomotion, which pulled the first train to run on the line, is displayed at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum. The railway was built to transport coal from collieries, 13 km/8 mi to the northwest, to Stockton's riverside quays, 18 km/11 mi to the east. The route later extended eastwards into Cleveland and westwards into Cumbria, and the London–Newcastle–Edinburgh line opened in 1841. Rapid expansion followed and Darlington became a centre for railway engineering and the manufacture of locomotives, tracks, and wagons. The railway engineering workshops were closed in 1966. |
Darlington
Darlington
| Town and administrative headquarters of Darlington County, northeast South Carolina; population (1990) 7,311. It is situated 16 km/10 mi north-northwest of Florence. In a rich farming region, Darlington is a major trade and warehouse centre for locally produced tobacco and cotton, and produces cotton cloth, cottonseed oil, and wood veneer. |
| Darlington was first settled in 1798. A brief local revolt (1894) against stringent antiliquor laws was dubbed the ‘Darlington War’. |
| The Darlington Raceway, a stock car track to the west of the city, holds two 800-km/500-mi races annually, and a major dragway is also nearby. |
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