Shildon Railway Institute celebrated its 189th birthday this week. The first organisation of its kind in the world to be founded in conjunction with the railway industry, the Institute opened its doors, albeit not in the current building, on 28 November 1833.
In October of 1825, a directive was issued by the Stockton and Darlington railway to build four cottages at New Shildon for the first enginemen and carpenters and blacksmiths, Shildon Works grew slowly around this, with much of the early work being contracted elsewhere, but by 1833 the Soho Works had become something more like a self-contained engineering facility.
That facility required men that had intelligence, and a certain amount of engineering education.
On noticing that most of his workers could neither read nor write, Timothy Hackworth, the first Superintendent of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, set about establishing a railwayman’s Institution.
The Institute aimed to provide facilities “for the promotion of useful knowledge” and also sought to provide amenities to the public such as gardens and allotments. As the Institute flourished, so it outgrew its premises until eventually, in February 1913, the current purpose-built building opened its doors.
In a tweet marking its birthday on Monday, the Institue said: “Next year is our 190th and we’ll be doing a few special things to start the decade countdown to our 200th.”
And with the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway fast approaching, the Institute, which was so recently in danger of closing, is set to play a central and integral part in the 2025 celebrations.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
