Sponsor Hopetown Darlington
On track for 2025
The Stockton and Darlington Railway changed the world.
Railways across the globe have their beginnings here in the first public railway to use steam locomotives, dating back almost 200 years.
The S&DR200 celebrations are a golden opportunity to celebrate the significant achievements of our past, celebrate our heritage, but most importantly they provide our region with a positive legacy which endures well beyond the events themselves.
Hopetown Darlington
"Alongside celebrating our fantastic and unique place in the history of rail travel, the Darlington Rail Heritage Quarter will breather fresh life into an area that was once at the forefront of world rail engineering."
Hopetown Darlington is a £35 million project that will invest in the town's rail heritage, ahead of the bicentennial anniversary in 2025 to create a national visitor destination in Darlington.
Heritage and cultural regeneration are now recognised as a key ingredient in economic growth and Hopetown Darlington will complement the economic growth ambition of the borough.
Due to open in summer 2024
New technology and digital investment will bring history to life. Including plans for a new and unique theme park style time travel immersive ride experience.
Hopetown Darlington will have a café and a shop, themed play area, extensive events programme, a new live engineering building, temporary exhibition space and archive, all of which will attract over 360,000 annual national and international visitors.
Dobbins - Skerne Bridge
Replica Locomotion No1
The Locomotion No1 replica will be restored for 2025 to working order providing rides to visitors to Hopetown Darlington. It will be the star of the 2025 celebrating crossing the Skerne Bridge (the oldest operating railway bridge in the world) on 27 September 2025 recreating its original journey from 27 September 1825.
This is a unique once in a generation opportunity for your company to be part of history as we celebrate where modern passenger rail began. Shots of the recreated original journey will be beamed around the world putting your company on the world stage.
The Locomotion No1 replica will be a permanent feature at Hopetown Darlington providing rides to visitors on a regular basis. It will also visit other attractions around the country.
For the opportunity to be associated with this iconic replica:
- £250k for a 10 year partnership
- You and six guests will get the opportunity to ride in the director's coach behind the replica during the SDR200 celebrations
- Bespoke VIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
Sponsorship Opportunities
Your chance to get on board!
Goods Shed
Currently sponsored by Willmott Dixon
This will be the entry point to Hopetown Darlington for the 360,000 annual visitors, as well as access to North Road Station with a café, immersive visitor digital media experience and a Hologauze projection of locomotives.
For the opportunity to be associated with this building from 2027:
- £100k for five year partnership
- Bespoke VIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
Exhibition Hall
Currently sponsored by Darlington Building Society
The exhibition space, within the 1853 Carriage Works, will attract touring exhibitions improving local access to national collections and exhibitions. Initially for 2025 it will be used to house an exhibition of early locomotives from around the world as part of the SDR200 celebrations.
For the opportunity to be associated with this building from 2029:
- £50k for a five year partnership
- Bespoke VIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
The Stores
Currently sponsored by Bussey & Armstrong
Within the Carriage Works there will be a new study centre and open store which will house the locally and nationally significant artefact and archive collection for the Hopetown Darlington site.
For the opportunity to be associated with this building from 2029:
- £25k for a five year partnership
- Bespoke VIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
Experiment! time travel railway-themed immersive experience
The most memorable encounter of all within the museum is likely to be Experiment!. An extraordinarily vivid immersion into passenger rail travel from Darlington in 1825 to the present day (if not also the future), and exploring the extraordinary impact it had across societies and cultures around the world.
It will include a 9 seat 4D style cinema type experience where the hydraulic cinema seat moves in different directions giving the feeling of motion.
For the opportunity to be associated with this innovative visitor experience:
- £100k for five year partnership
- Bespoke BIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
Artist's rendition of the Adventure Playground
Wagon Woods
Currently sponsored by Homes by Esh
The development of a destination bespoke play area designed to fit with the heritage story of the Stockton and Darlington Railway is an exciting new addition to the site. It will provide a new attraction for both locals and tourists to Hopetown Darlington and be a unique learning and exploratory play experience for young visitors.
For the opportunity to be associated with this play park from 2029:
- £50k for five year partnership
- Bespoke VIP engagement package to be agreed with you for SDR200 and beyond
Adopt an Artefact
Hopetown Darlington open store will house the site's collection of railway artefacts and archives. Each object in the collection will be on open display for the public to enjoy and engage.
For the opportunity to be associated with this innovative visitor experience:
- Starting from £250 per object for a five year partnership
- You will get your name on the object's label
Adopt an Art Work
Hopetown Darlington site will be home to pieces of contemporary art from local artists that reflect Darlington's rail heritage and industry.
For the opportunity to be associated with this innovative visitor experience:
- Starting from £1k for a five year partnership
- You will get your name on the art work's label
Contact
Mike Crawshaw
Head of Heritage and Culture
Mike.Crawshaw@darlington.gov.uk
Leona White-Hannant
Museum Manager Curator
Leona.White-Hannant@darlington.gov.uk