Visit Darlington Places

Welcome to Visit Darlington Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Darlington

  

Darlington Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Darlington

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Darlington history

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Early history

Darlington started as an Anglo-Saxon settlement . St Cuthbert’s Church, built in 1183, is one of the most important early English churches in the north of England . The so-called “Durham Ox” came from Darlington .

Victorian era

Darlington was a small market town during the early 19th century . The Stockton and Darlington Railway ran steam locomotives designed for passengers and goods, built to a standard gauge, on a permanent main line with branches . An early railway works was the Hopetown Carriage Works (est. 1853), which supplied carriages . The clock tower was given to the town by industrialist Joseph Pease in 1864 . The 91-acre South Park was redeveloped into its current form in 1853 .

World Wars era

Pilot Officer William Stuart McMullen of Canada was on a training exercise when one of its engines caught fire and it crashed on farmland near Lingfield Lane . He stayed at the controls while his crew parachuted to safety and directed the stricken aircraft away from the houses below . He was killed on impact .

Late 20th-century

A1 Steam Locomotive Trust spent £760,000 building a new steam locomotive from scratch . It was intended to be the 50th member of the long withdrawn LNER Peppercorn Class A1 engine, called Tornado and numbered 60163 . Tornado was completed in January 2008 .

21st century

Darlington was the first town in England to allow same-sex civil ceremonies in 2001 . The town hosts an annual Gay Pride Festival which comprises a series of celebrations of local LGBT culture and acceptance held at venues across the town . Town centre has undergone a full refurbishment entitled The Pedestrian Heart .

Darlington economy & business

Service Sector

A major employer in the area is the English division of the Student Loans Company, Student Finance England . The National Safeguarding Authority has a national office in the town . Darlington Borough Council announced the neighbouring site for the DL1 complex was to be redeveloped to house riverside office space for the Department for Education .

Telecommunication

EE are the largest private sector employers in the town, hiring 2,500 people . The company recently announced Darlington as one of the economically important locations in England to have BT fibre-optic cables installed underground as part of the company’s BT Infinity superfast broadband rollout project .

Morton Park

Morton Park area of Darlington is undergoing a partial redevelopment . Areas of unused waste land are being redeveloped into modern industrial and office space . Morrisons at Morton Park opened in August 1995 .

Engineering

Darlington has long been a centre for engineering, major firm within the engineering industry based in the town . Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company built the Tyne Bridge, Tees Transporter Bridge and the Humber Bridge . Cummins, engine builder firm, has a large scale engine building facility in the Morton Park area of Darlington .

Retail and Leisure

As a historic market town, a weekly outdoor market on the market square is one of the biggest in the country . In November 2012, a deal was signed between Darlington Borough Council and developer Terrace Hill for a £30 million re-development of the site of the former Feethams bus depot .

Hospital

Darlington Memorial Hospital is on Hollyhurst Road, in the corridor between Woodland Road and The Denes . The hospital is located on the corner of the road between Woodlands Road and the Denes.

Darlington geography / climate

Darlington is located in the south of County Durham close to the River Tees. The town is located on the border between Durham and Yorkshire. Neighbouring towns include Bishop Auckland, Eaglescliffe, Newton Aycliffe, Richmond and Yarm.

Suburbs

There are several suburbs of Darlington, including Harrowgate Hill and Beaumont Hill . To the north-east are Whinfield and Haughton Le Skerne and to the east is the suburb of Eastbourne and Red Hall . Situated in the west end are Hummersknott, Mowden and Blackwell .

You can visit Darlington places with Walkfo Darlington to hear history at Darlington’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Darlington has 54 places to visit in our interactive Darlington map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Darlington, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Darlington places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Darlington & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 54 audio facts unique to Darlington places in an interactive Darlington map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Darlington Places Map
54 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Darlington historic spots	Darlington tourist destinations	Darlington plaques	Darlington geographic features
Walkfo Darlington tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Darlington

  

Best Darlington places to visit

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Darlington has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Darlington’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Darlington’s information audio spots:

St Hilda’s Church, Darlington St Hilda’s Church is a Grade II listed former Church of England church on Parkgate, Darlington, County Durham. It was built in the 1930s and is now a Grade I listed former church.

St Cuthbert’s Church, Darlington St Cuthbert’s Church, Darlington is a parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Durham in Darlington, County Durham.

Darlington Town Hall Darlington Town Hall is a municipal building in Feethams, Darlington, County Durham. It is the meeting place of Darlington Borough Council.

St John’s Church, Darlington St John the Evangelist’s Church, Darlington is a Grade II listed Church of England church on Neasham Road, County Durham.

Old Town Hall and Market Hall, Darlington The Old Town Hall and Market Hall is a municipal complex in Darlington, County Durham. The old town hall was the headquarters of Darlington Borough Council until it moved to the new town hall in Feethams in 1970. The complex consists of three separate buildings, all of which are Grade II listed.

Borough of Darlington The Borough of Darlington is a unitary authority and borough in County Durham, Northern England. The borough is named after Darlington, and in 2011 had a population of 106,000. It is in the Tees Valley mayoralty, and borders three local authority areas.

Holy Trinity Church, Darlington Holy Trinity Church, Darlington is a Grade II* listed Church of England church. It is located in Darlington, County Durham. The church is on Woodland Road, County Durham, and was built in the 1930s.

Church of St James the Great, Darlington The Church of St James the Great is a Church of England parish church in Darlington, County Durham. The church is a grade II listed building.

South Park, Darlington South Park is a historic park in Darlington, County Durham. It is Grade II listed with Historic England. South Park was built in the 1930s.

Blackwell Grange Blackwell Grange Hotel is an early 18th-century country house at Blackwell, near Darlington, County Durham, England. Much altered in the 19th century, it is now a hotel. The hotel currently has 3 functioning bars – The Blackwell Bar, Miss Allan Bar and Bruhenny Bar.

Visit Darlington plaques