Survivors from the original 1825 Stockton & Darlington Railway

With this year’s ‘Railway 200’ celebrations now upon us, Dr Joseph Brennan looks at the remnants from the original 1825 Stockton & Darlington Railway that we can still see today.

The Stockton & Darlington Railway, as described in London Mechanic’s Magazine in the October 17 1829 edition, is a railway “on which steam-power was for the first time employed to propel passengers as well as goods, and with a degree of success which began to open the eyes of the public to advantages of which they had not even dreamt”.

It’s a statement demonstrating that even before the close of the decade during which it opened, the S&DR was already being celebrated as the start of the railways as we now know it.

Little wonder, therefore, that so much excitement (and preparation) has accompanied the lead-up to the S&DR’s bicentenary in 2025 (the line having opened on September 27 1825).

Over the coming months, RAIL will carry various heritage stories. It makes sense that the first - less than a year out from the milestone celebrated as 200 years of the railways - takes stock of the surviving S&DR structures connected with that 1825 opening. Some are still in active use on the modern network.

It ‘makes sense’ because the celebration, restoration and preservation of these survivors is a project that has been in the works for a number of years.

And perhaps the best example surrounds the structure most famous along the original line: Skerne bridge - mighty masonry that is synonymous with the S&DR’s opening day.

Skerne bridge

In 2021, Historic England (HE) gave the bridge the top Grade 1 designation. It joined an exclusive club of just seven Grade 1 Listed railway bridges in England.

Skerne Bridge had been designated as a Scheduled Monument in 1970, although given it remains in regular railway use, protection as a listed structure was deemed more appropriate.

In fact, it is believed to be the oldest railway bridge in the world that is still in its original use.

Want to read more? Subscribe today and never miss an issue of RAIL. With a Print + Digital subscription, you’ll get each issue delivered to your door for FREE (UK only). Plus, enjoy an exclusive monthly e-newsletter from the Editor, rewards, discounts and prizes, AND full access to the latest and previous issues via the app.