Editing Darlington (section)

===Victorian era===
====Stivvies====
[[File:Stooperdale Offices, Darlington (geograph 6393231).jpg|thumb|Stooperdale Offices (built for the [[North Eastern Railway Company]])]]

During the early 19th century, Darlington remained a small market town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Darlington |url=http://www.localhistories.org/darlington.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203005824/http://www.localhistories.org/darlington.html |archive-date=3 December 2019 |access-date=4 May 2011 |website=localhistories.org}}</ref>

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. On 27 September 1825, [[George Stephenson]]'s engine, ''[[Locomotion No. 1]]'', travelled between [[Shildon]] and [[Stockton-on-Tees]] via Darlington, an event that was seen as ushering in the modern railway age.

Later in the 19th century, the town became an important centre for railway manufacturing. An early railway works was the [[Hopetown Carriage Works]] (est. 1853), which supplied carriages and locomotives to the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The engineering firm of [[William and Alfred Kitching]] also manufactured locomotives there around this time. The town eventually developed three significant railway works:
* The largest of these was the main line [[Darlington Works]]; its main factory, the North Road Shops, opened in 1863 and remained in operation until 1966. 
* [[Robert Stephenson and Company|Robert Stephenson & Co.]] (colloquially: "Stivvies"), moved to Darlington from [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] in 1902. It was renamed ''Robert Stephensons & Hawthorns'' in 1937, was absorbed by [[English Electric]] around 1960 and had closed by 1964. 
* [[Faverdale Wagon Works]] was established in 1923 and closed in 1962; in the 1950s, it was a UK pioneer in applying mass-production techniques to the manufacture of railway goods wagons.

====Quakers and the Echo====
During the 19th century, Darlington [[Quaker]] families such as those of [[Pease family (Darlington)|Pease]] and [[Backhouse's Bank|Backhouse]] emerged as major employers and philanthropists. Industrialist [[Joseph Pease (railway pioneer)|Joseph Pease]] gave Darlington its landmark [[clock tower]] in 1864.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=David |date=7 April 2011 |title=Town clock keeps up with the chimes |work=[[The Northern Echo]] |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8958754.Town_clock_keeps_up_with_the_chimes/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905022952/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8958754.Town_clock_keeps_up_with_the_chimes/ |archive-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> The clock face was crafted by [[T. Cooke & Sons]] of [[York]], and bells cast by [[John Warner & Sons]] of nearby [[Norton, County Durham|Norton-on-Tees]].<ref name=visitdarlington /> The bells are sisters to [[Big Ben]].{{cn|date=January 2023}}

[[Darlington Mechanics Institute]] was opened in 1854 by [[Elizabeth Pease Nichol]], who had donated towards its cost.<ref name="rude">{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Chris |date=10 March 2014 |title=History: School for rude mechanicals |work=The Northern Echo |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/11065778.School_for_rude_mechanicals/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512231526/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/11065778.School_for_rude_mechanicals/ |archive-date=12 May 2014}}</ref> In 1853, [[South Park, Darlington|South Park]] was laid out, over {{convert|91|acres}}, with financial support from the Backhouse family.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Park |url=http://www.visitdarlington.com/site/heritage/south-park-p70291 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720091159/http://www.visitdarlington.com/site/heritage/south-park-p70291 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |website=visitdarlington.com}}</ref>

[[Architect]] [[Alfred Waterhouse]], famous for work including London's [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] and [[Manchester Town Hall]], designed  Darlington's [[Grade II listed]] [[Old Town Hall and Market Hall, Darlington]] in 1860. Four years later he contributed Backhouse's Bank building that is, {{as of|2022|lc=yes}}, a branch of [[Barclays]] bank.<ref name=visitdarlington />

During the period, [[George Gordon Hoskins]] was responsible for much of the town's architecture, designing buildings such as The King's Head Hotel.{{cn|date=January 2023}}

Darlington Free Library, a [[Grade II listed]] building in Crown Street, was built for £10,000 by [[Edward Pease (railway pioneer)|Edward Pease]]. His daughter, Lady Lymington, opened the building on 23 October 1885 and presented it to the town council who agreed to operate it in perpetuity. {{As of|2022}}, it contains a library and "centre for local studies".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Darlington Town Centre Heritage Trail |url=http://www.visitdarlington.com/downloads/Heritage%20Trail%20Guide.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717221910/http://www.visitdarlington.com/downloads/Heritage%20Trail%20Guide.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2011 |website=visitdarlington.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Crown Street – Darlington Libraries – celebrating 130 years 1885–2015 |url=http://www2.darlington.gov.uk/web/arena/crown-street-library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003132457/https://www2.darlington.gov.uk/web/arena/crown-street-library |archive-date=3 October 2017 |access-date=29 January 2019 |website=darlington.gov.uk}}</ref>

In 1870, ''[[The Northern Echo]]'' newspaper launched.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 January 2020 |title=The birth of The Northern Echo born out of a bitter local political dispute |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/18136219.birth-northern-echo-born-bitter-local-political-dispute/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108180551/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/18136219.birth-northern-echo-born-bitter-local-political-dispute/ |archive-date=8 January 2020 |access-date=1 April 2020 |website=The Northern Echo}}</ref> Its most famous editor, [[William Thomas Stead]], died on the ''[[Titanic]]''. Facing the present ''Northern Echo'' building on Priestgate is the William Stead [[public house]] named for him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The William Stead |url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/county-durham/the-william-stead-darlington |access-date=12 January 2023 |website=Wetherspoons |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112113756/https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/county-durham/the-william-stead-darlington |url-status=live }}</ref>