Route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway trackside sign

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Railway trackside sign, one of a series of information signs installed along the East Coast main line by the London & North Eastern Railway in 1937, this sign marking the crossing point of the 1825 Stockton & Darlington main line. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476475
Date first listed:: 19-Jan-2022
List Entry Name:: Route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway trackside sign

View of the sign from The Sidings — Uploaded by Ross Chisholm This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

🏠 Buildings
🏰 Scheduled monuments
🌳 Parks and gardens
⚔️ Battlefields
⚓ Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476475
Date first listed:: 19-Jan-2022
List Entry Name:: Route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway trackside sign
Location Description:: Sited on the western side of the East Coast main line opposite 41-55 (odd) The Sidings, Darlington, DL1 1QJ

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Darlington (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: NZ2964415312

Summary

Reasons for Designation

Railway trackside sign indicating the route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, erected by the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1937, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest: * a good, prominent example of the LNER’s use of Gill Sans for signage, the LNER being an early adopter of this font, popularising its use in the mid-C20.

Historic interest: * a demonstration that the forward-looking LNER also took advantage of its direct connections with the internationally influential and historically highly significant Stockton & Darlington Railway.

Group value: * with the Former GNER Engine Shed on the opposite side of the East Coast main line, along with the other numerous listed railway-related structures in Darlington.

History

The Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) began commercial operation in 1825. Through its willingness to share information with visiting engineers and railway promoters, the S&DR was highly influential in the establishment of other railways both in England and abroad. Subsequently, the historical significance of the S&DR was regularly celebrated and exploited by railway companies. The S&DR merged with the North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1863 which went to great expense in 1875 celebrating what they billed as ‘The Jubilee of the Railway System'. By the time of the S&DR’s centenary in 1925, the NER was part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) which organised a grand rail gala which was attended by delegates to the International Railway Congress which, although originally planned to be held in Madrid, was moved to London because of the S&DR’s centenary.

A physical marker of the LNER’s celebration of their connection to the S&DR is the trackside sign that marks the approximate crossing point of the S&DR’s original main line with the East Coast main line. A photo of this crossing dated 1924 shows a similar, but slightly different sign. LNER adopted Gill Sans as their corporate typeface in 1929, and the current sign was erected in 1937 as one of a whole series of trackside signs erected by the company along the East Coast main line, marking progress for passengers along their journeys. The sign was renovated in 1987 by the Darlington Railway Preservation Society and was restored again by the Railway Heritage Trust in 2019, the sign being relocated slightly to make it more visible to passengers.

Details

Trackside sign, 1937 for the London North Eastern Railway.

White-painted, sheet-steel lettering in Gill Sans font mounted on a framework of box-section steel beams that are painted black. The sign reads: ROUTE OF STOCKTON & DARLINGTON RAILWAY 1825

Sources

Websites
Publicity of the Railway Heritage Trust's restoration of the sign in 2019, accessed 02 June 2021 from https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/people-and-the-railway-the-railway-heritage-trust/

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.