Visit Darlington's award-winning visitor attraction! Hopetown Darlington is a railway-themed visitor attraction encompassing a railway museum, exhibitions, festivals, events, café and shop, a railway-themed outdoor adventure playpark, a state-of-the-art immersive time travel experience and the chance to view live engineering in action.

A Brief History

Hopetown Darlington is a brand-new rail heritage visitor attraction located on the original route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. With its reference to the historic Hope Town Foundry and Hopetown Carriage Works, the attraction’s name celebrates the rich rail heritage of Darlington’s Northgate area. The site encompasses both purpose-built and heritage buildings – including the former Head of Steam Museum – into a major family attraction.

Hidden Gems and Interesting Facts

The Grade I listed Skerne Bridge, part of the original Stockton & Darlington Railway, holds the distinction of being the oldest railway bridge in the world still in continuous operation.

The Grade II star Goods Shed, believed to be the second oldest goods shed in the country, is a rare survivor of early railway engineering and will be the home of Hopetown Darlington’s new shop and café.

North Road Station Museum, formerly the Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum, was originally opened by the late Prince Philip in 1975. The Grade II star listed building was constructed in 1842 and still remains an active railway station to this day.

The UK’s newest steam locomotive Tornado was built by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust in the Grade II Carriage Works building. The Carriage Works now forms part of Hopetown Darlington.

Experiment! in North Road Station Museum is the North East’s only permanent immersive experience ride.

What We Offer Our Visitors

Visitors will be drawn to Hopetown Darlington by our new exciting immersive experiences and captivating family-friendly activities. Anchored by the railway museum dedicated to 200 years of Darlington’s Railway Heritage, Hopetown Darlington will offer something for everyone including an outdoor railway-themed adventure playground, a learning and archive community centre and the opportunity to watch live engineering take place on the UK’s newest steam locomotive Prince of Wales.

Why Choose Us for Your Next Day Out in Yorkshire

There’s a lot to do for everyone at Hopetown Darlington. We are unique in the way that we have expanded beyond a railway museum and visitors can now expect a huge variety of things to see and do. Hopetown Darlington is the place to play, explore, make lasting memories and learn about local railway heritage and the enormous part Darlington played in the birth of the railways.

Activities, Tours, Exhibits & Events

· 2025 is the bi-centenary celebrations of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. More information on the festival can be found here.

· Permanent exhibition on Darlington’s railway heritage.

· Experiment! the railway-themed time travel immersive experience. · See what’s on at Hopetown Darlington

Opening Hours

Normal operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm Darlington School Holidays: Monday to Sunday, 10am-5pm

Last entry: 4pm

Open bank holiday Mondays.

Closed 1st January, 25th and 26th December of every year.

Seasonal Experiences

· March-September – Hopetown Darlington is taking part in the S&DR200 festival, a celebration of 200 years of the passenger railway which started here in Darlington in 1825.

· October – Hopetown Darlington is transformed into a spooky attraction for Halloween.

· Christmas –Ho-Ho-Hopetown is transformed into a winter wonderland and is paid a visit by Santa Claus.

Group Sizes Catered For

Groups of all sizes and descriptions are welcome.

Facilities: A new car park accommodates over 200 vehicles. Disabled parking is available at the main entrance. Hopetown Darlington shares a site with Darlington’s North Road Railway Station which is served by hourly connections to Darlington’s mainline Railway Station. Bus stops are located near to the main entrance.

Accessibility and Disabled Facilities

The site is accessible to wheelchair users. There will be lifts and ramps in all venues and outdoor spaces wherever there is a change in level. There will be disabled toilets located across the site and there will be a Changing Places toilet located inside North Road Station Museum.

Accessibility is always important to us, so the Wagon Woods play park includes an accessible incline track with interactive features and a companion slide suitable for wheelchair users and the Experiment! immersive experience ride also has space for a wheelchair user.