Latest news with #PrestonParkMuseum
BBC News
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Preston Park exhibitions celebrate 200 years of railway
A museum's new exhibition space is set to launch with artworks celebrating the bicentenary of the Park Museum in Stockton, will host a series called "Tracks of Change" to mark 200 years of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Line (S&DR).The four free exhibitions include two installations and will be open between September and next Hallifax, S&DR200 festival director, said she hoped the events would inspire people and showcase the museum's new exhibition space. Preston Park Museum has been undergoing a £20m upgrade, including a two-storey extension, new cafe and car works, such as the refurbishment of the park aviary are also under way and there are plans for a mural commemorating the railways' 200th anniversary inside the structure. What are the exhibitions? All Aboard, Corridors, Gateway to the World and Perfume make up the Tracks of Change first three will open in September, while Perfume will launch in January. Corridors is an installation by Rebecca Louise Law with thousands of preserved flowers suspended from the ceiling. A lot of the flowers have been grown in the museum's Walled display is inspired by the route of the original Stockton and Darlington line through Preston Park. All Aboard will be specifically for children, featuring a giant replica train and themed play to the World will show a collection of nationally significant paintings highlighting the important role the railway played in creating will be an installation by Yann Nguema, inspired by seed distribution and pollination when trains travel through the countryside. Thousands of peg dolls, created as part of a mass participation project called Memory of a Journey, will also go on display. They were made by community groups, school pupils and care home residents across Tees Valley and County Durham to represent their favourite train journey. The designs will be shown between 13 September and 12 October. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The new ‘nine month festival' launching in the UK with historic walking trail, world's first railway and AR games
A NEW 'nine month festival' is taking place across County Durham and Tees Valley this year, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). As part of the S&DR200 festival, there will be an interactive walking trail between Shildon and Stockton via Darlington - along the rail route which opened on September 27, 1825. 4 4 Along the route will be one of the world's most important groups of surviving early railway buildings including the Grade II* Heighington Station - the world's oldest railway station. The trail will also include an AR game, which will allow players to "learn more about the pioneering innovations of the S&DR via augmented reality and explore key locations in immersive and dynamic way", according to the festival's website. The S&DR Trail of Discovery is a public walk and cycling path which follows sections of the original S&DR route in County Durham, Darlington and Stockton. It stretches approximately nine miles in total. Along the path, visitors will be able to see highlights from the original route include the world's first train platform, the oldest railway bridge and sites that formerly houses cutting-edge technology of the time. There will also be three museums along the route - Locomotion in Shildon, Hopwtown in Darlington nad Preston Park Museum in Stockton. The first of the three museums is home to Europe 's largest collection of early locomotion's. The second is a reimagined site with interactive experiences telling he story of the early rail. The final museums is set in 120 acres of parkland and is home to many curiosities of local life, as well as a new gallery. The first phase of the Trail will be completed during 2025 which will see a continuous route in County Durham from the very start of the line in Witton Park to Heighington Station. New European Sleeper Train Route Goes Through 15 Destinations This part of the trail will be particularly picturesque. In Darlington, the route will run from Hopetown Museum and pick up the original 1825 route all the way to Middleton St George. Then in Stockton, the route will pick up at Eaglescliffe Station and take you on a journey to Stockton Riverside, via Preston Park, where you can still see remnants of the 1825 line. Also in the summer, 17 illustrated panels will be placed be along the route that tell the story of this pioneering historic event that changed the way the world travels, trades and communicates. The full trail will eventually be fully completed by 2027. Then on September 27, 2025 the official 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in the north east of England, which gave birth to the modern railway, will be marked with a re-enactment of the first journey. As part of the celebration, the nine-month festival - which began in March - there will be a number of other events, exhibitions and activities open to the public. To date, £57 million has been spent developing the region's cultural infrastructure ahead of the festival. You can also explore three historic train stations as part of new UK tour – but only until the end of the year. Plus, the first ever direct trains from London to Switzerland move even closer to launching. 4
