New artworks unveil S&DR Trail of Discovery

The S&DR200 festival has launched a series of artworks by six artists who will create nine new pieces, including two at locations in Shildon, marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR).

The first of the new artworks along the S&DR Trail of Discovery were unveiled this week – Kate Jackson’s Motion 200 at Heighington train station and Adébayo Bolaji’s Time and Place at Darlington train station.

Together they form a lasting legacy that enables future generations to discover the importance of the railway’s past and present and serve as points of connection for local communities and visitors to the region.

The artworks will be located at iconic historic sites along the S&DR Trail of Discovery, a new trail between Witton Park in and Stockton, that closely follows the original 26-mile-route of the world’s first passenger and goods train journey on the S&DR.

Each artist has been working with local community groups, including young creatives and asylum seekers, to reflect the people and places shaped by the S&DR and reveal the hidden histories of key railway stations.

The unveiling was organised as part of the nine-month S&DR200 festival, which launched in March and continues across County Durham and Tees Valley until November, inspired by the first journey on the S&DR.

The festival includes a series of free large-scale outdoor spectacles, events, exhibitions and new art commissions in public spaces, libraries and world-class museums.

The artists, selected by South Yorkshire-based curator David Sinclair, are Adébayo Bolaji, Kate Jackson, Morag Myerscough, Caroline Cardus, Lewis Hobson and Aida Wilde.

Their new murals will be created alongside two existing public artworks on Stockton High Street and the Locomotion Bridge in Shildon (by Zak Newton and Allison Bentley).

One of the murals unveiled this week, Motion 200 by Kate Jackson, has been placed at the world’s first railway station, the Grade II* listed Heighington and Aycliffe Railway Station (one panel 1.5m x 10m).

Still in use today as part of the Bishop Line (and now known as Heighington station), the station set the model for modern railway stops, providing a train halt, passenger shelter, and a hub for transporting goods.

Kate’s mural has been created in collaboration with the Preston Park Young Producers programme, whose participants help create exciting events and opportunities for young people across the region.

Meanwhile, Time and Place by Adébayo Bolaji is on display at the Grade II* listed Darlington Railway Station, managed by LNER and famously visited by Queen Victoria in 1849.

Adébayo’s first mural (one panel, 2m x 4m) has been created with the Young Producers programme, Darlington, and he will then create a second piece in response to the first, again working with members of the programme.

Workshops are also being organised locally. His piece is a celebration of place and the first women of S&DR.

Following later in 2025 will be Lewis Hobson on the new Trail of Discovery footpath in Shildon, complementing his existing work already on display in Middleton St George, which the Friends of Stockton and Darlington commissioned last year.

Caroline Cardus will also be working in Shildon, at the Masons Arms.

Her collaborative project will invite Shildon residents to share their perspectives, which will be transformed into signage inspired by railway signals.

In addition, a piece by Morag Myerscough will be created in collaboration with a refugee community group and young creatives at the Grade II listed Stockton Station.

Aida Wilde will be collaborating with local asylum seekers to create her mural at North Road Station in Darlington, a key site in railway history and home to Hopetown Darlington.

Kate Jackson will also be presenting work on The Aviary in Preston Park, which will honour 200 years of community, reflecting the connections between people and nature at the historic space.

As part of the S&DR200 celebrations, two public art installations will also be unveiled, each capturing a unique story of the Stockton & Darlington Railway’s legacy and its connection to the community.

One will be in Locomotion by Shildon artist Ivan Black and volunteers from Locomotion, and the other on the Riverside in Stockton by artist James Bawn and poet Lizzy Lovejoy with the Young Producers Group from ARC, Stockton Arts Centre.

The S&DR Trail of Discovery can be explored at a variety of waymarked sections on foot, by bike or by train from stations along the route.

Along the trail, visitors will also be able to see important heritage structures, including Skerne Bridge, the oldest railway bridge still in continuous use, and the Brusselton Incline, where a section of the original Stockton and Darlington track is still visible.

A new Trail of Discovery game, voiced by broadcaster Steph McGovern, will also launch in June, using augmented reality to bring the parts of the route to life.

The game is a legacy project developed and created by Tucan and the University of Teesside. This includes remunerated commissioned work experience and is aimed at developing talent in the region.

Further information about the S&DR Trail of Discovery can be found at www.sdr200.co.uk/discovery-trail/.