Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum
Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum is currently closed for refurb to create a national visitor destination in Darlington.
Reopening in 2024, the Head of Steam will be transformed by a major redevelopment next year to bring an exciting new museum experience to Darlington. Essential improvements will be carried out on the site, linking them together to create a cluster of attractions that will showcase Darlington’s innovative history.
While the redevelopment is taking place, the activities you know and love will still be continuing away from the museum.
You can still join in with the following activities in 2023:
Station Scamps – for more information about Station Scamps please CLICK HERE
Special events and activities
Educational visits
Adult Craft Workshops
Museum on the Move (from April)
Hard hat tours
Railway Coffee Morning
Dementia Café
For more event details please CLICK HERE
You can also follow Head of Steam on Facebook
More information about the new development
Essential improvements will be carried out on several historically significant buildings on the site, linking them together to create a cluster of attractions including the Skerne Bridge, the oldest working railway bridge in the world.
Councillor Scott said: “This is an absolutely momentous day for us here in Darlington, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to re-launch Darlington as the birthplace of the railways, the town that financially supported the initial idea of the passenger railway. It has taken a great deal of time, passion, energy and ingenuity to reach this stage of the project and it is with a great deal of pride that I cut the first turf and set the Railway Heritage Quarter on track for completion in time for the bi-centenary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025.”
Digital and technological investment
Digital and technological investment will bring history to life and plans include a new immersive ride experience the likes of which are only seen at theme parks. The Railway Heritage Quarter will have a café and shop, themed play area, show field, a new live engineering building, temporary exhibition space, archive and extended car parking, which will attract all generations to visit for years to come
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It is fantastic to hear that we’ve got spades in the ground and can officially launch the start of building works on the Darlington Railway Heritage Quarter. This top-quality scheme will include attractions never seen before in our region. It’s yet another project we’re kick-starting in 2022, our year of construction. This is a bit different to the other schemes we’re driving forward this year, from transforming transport to redeveloping Teesworks. It’s no less important, though, and that’s why we committed £20million to make it a reality.
“This ambitious attraction will tell the story of how we helped shape the world through our rail heritage and innovation for generations to come, supporting the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. What’s more, it’ll do so while boosting tourism to support our brilliant local businesses, putting more money in people’s pockets.”
For latest updates and information visit the Head of Steam website