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.