Readers may have noticed a great deal being made this year of the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike, which affected communities right across the coalfields of Great Britain. However, this month marks a greater significance for Shildon as it was 30 June 1984 that brought the closure of British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) Wagon Works. This historic event had a profound and lasting impact on the families in Shildon and it was in fact, the concluding chapter of an industrial legacy.
To mark this milestone, two events will take place in Shildon at the end of June. The first, on Saturday 29th, is organised by Locomotion and will be held at the Methodist Sunday School on Soho Street; further details to be announced soon. The second event, organised by Shildon Heritage Alliance, is a joint Exhibition and Reunion, to be held on Sunday 30th at the Railway Institute on Redworth Road.
It is widely claimed that the railway works began construction in 1833, however there is evidence to suggest that there were workshop buildings on site in Shildon much earlier. Timothy Hackworth and his chosen men constructed his earliest Shildon built locomotives and rolling stock for the Stockton & Darlington Railway at the beginning of the 1830s. Though the original S&DR workshops were rudimentary, employing only 20 men, they were the beginnings of what would become one of the largest and most sophisticated railway engineering centres in the world.
These works became the epicentre of a new engineering town with an economic magnetism that drew families from across the region in search of a prosperous life. The founders sought out and taught the required skills, and other industries and businesses sprang up to support the growing community. In return for their labour, the S&DR rewarded the community by providing facilities such as schools and chapels, and in 1860, a building for the Institute that Hackworth had founded in 1833.
The town thrived under the influence of the S&DR, which merged into the North Eastern Railway and later LNER, nationalisation and the British Rail era. Indeed, they became specialists in wagon production and repair. Although Shildon’s endeavours had long influenced rail engineering overseas, it was as part of BREL that the work became truly international, fulfilling orders for such far flung countries as Malaya, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Kenya. Ironically, this highly productive boom period was also the beginning of the end, as the deciding factor in the fate of the works was an ideological one. Shildon was simply caught up in the sell-off and privatisation of nationalised industries, championed by a Conservative government that rode to power on a wave of public support in 1979.
When asked why an exhibition and reunion at the Railway Institute is relevant today, Institute Chair Dave Reynolds told us: “We feel it’s an important milestone to remember and commemorate because in many ways it’s about our unique industrial and cultural identity in Shildon. It’s about the families around us and who they are; the legacy of generations of Shildonians. While there are still those among us with lived experience of the works, they can pass on their stories and recollections. We may not be able to recreate the works itself for a weekend, but we’ve found a lot that we can show to give flavour of what it was like. We’ve seen at previous get togethers that when Shildon’s railway workers reunite and bring their families, the atmosphere is electric. The Institute and the works were like two sides of a coin, right through the whole period. Fate took the works away, but we’re still here, so it’s natural that we want to make an occasion of it.
“We’ve been working with historian Alan Ellwood to produce a limited edition colour booklet, packed with some of the rarer photographs of the works. Plus, we’ve been collecting as much as we can to put on an exhibition that we think will bring back many memories. There’s plenty of room in our big hall for more, so if there is anyone else who thinks they have something of interest, whether it’s old photographs, documents, or old tools, we’d be delighted to hear from them; just get in touch with the Institute and we’ll get back to you. Otherwise, we’d love to see folk popping in on the day, whether it’s to meet old comrades, or just to find out more.”
The Institute and Shildon Heritage Alliance CIC have also been working on a new documentary film, Made in Shildon, which is scheduled for release in the autumn, featuring interviews with former works employees and family members.
The Shildon Works 40 Exhibition and Shildon Works Reunion open at 12 noon on Sunday 30 June, free to attend and open to all. Refreshments will be available.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
