Hopetown Darlington

We have worked with Darlington Borough Council to deliver its £35m new world class visitor attraction, showcasing the town's story of engineering, ideas and invention and which is expected to welcome more than 300,000 visitors a year.

Procured via the SCAPE framework, the project involved the design and build of a new live engineering shed, the refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings and regeneration of the former Head of Steam railway museum site.

As the town looks forward to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway next year, we delivered an immersive experience building, café and shop, new public realm, parking provision and a railway themed children’s play area.

Throughout the project, we’ve engaged with more than 2,200 local school and college students and have created more than 200 weeks of new employment opportunities and 212 weeks of apprenticeships at Hopetown, working with organisations such as our partners We are Social Enterprise Recruitment.

Connecting with Darlington's rich rail history

By uniquely combining the old and the new, every building at Hopetown Darlington has a historical story to tell about the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). The S&DR operated from 1825 to 1863 and was the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives. Visitors to the newly opened Hopetown Darlington can learn the town’s impressive story through interactive exhibits and rides housed in some of the original, renovated railway buildings.

Libby McCollom, cabinet member for local services:

“Hopetown Darlington is a destination tourist attraction which will attract visitors from the region, the rest of the UK and even around the world to our town. The unique chance to see live engineering work alongside original locos and the range of interactive displays, rides and impressive artworks means this is a place where we can all learn more about our shared past.”

Darlington Borough Council leader Steve Harker added:

“I am delighted that we have been able to create such an amazing visitor attraction here in Darlington. It pays tribute to those who helped change the world by making passenger rail travel available to all.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in this impressive project from the investors and sponsors to the many varied and talented teams who have created this wonderful attraction and the local residents who have supported it. Hopetown Darlington brings our unique railway story to life, combining our proud history with the latest technology. Visitors of all ages, families and train enthusiasts, are guaranteed a fantastic day out.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:

“Hopetown Darlington is a fantastic new attraction which honours our region’s incredible history as the birthplace of the modern railway and I can’t wait to visit with my family. We want places such as Darlington to be renowned for having world-class attractions - where people from across Teesside, Darlington, Hartlepool, the rest of the UK and beyond will want to come and explore.

“Investment in superb projects such as Hopetown Darlington are crucial in helping us not only shout about our past but also to inspire innovators of the future and ensure our area is a great place to live, work and visit.”

Nick Corrigan, north east director of Willmott Dixon continued:

“The people of Darlington changed the world from here in 1825 and right from the beginning of the project we have been committed to creating the conditions for young people to understand and be inspired by that same spirit of ingenuity and innovation.

“We’ve engaged more than 2,200 local school and college students and we have created more than 200 weeks of new employment opportunities and 212 weeks of apprenticeships at Hopetown, working with organisations such as our partners We Are Social Enterprise Recruitment.”