Editing Darlington (section)

====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>