Shildon Railway Institute

The Institute is a membership organisation that was founded in 1833 by employees of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Its first president was the celebrated railway pioneer, engineer and locomotive designer, Timothy Hackworth. Initially founded as an educational institute and champion for social change for the railway workers of Shildon, it has constantly evolved over almost two centuries to meet the needs of the community amidst which it sits.

Anyone can have a stake, and say, in the Institute simply becoming a member.  Membership is open to all and costs £5 annually with the annual subscription period running for each calendar year from 1st January onwards.  This principle of membership has been consistent from day 1 and enables all members to have a stakehold interest in one of Shildon's great railway heritage assets - our grand Shildon Railway Institute building - as well as the direction of the organisation itself.



On the subject of the building, it is the second dedicated building created for the Institute. The first was built by the Stockton and Darlington Railway on Station Street, New Shildon in 1860 and has since been demolished.  This replacement Grade II listed building was designed by the architect William Bell and funded by the North Eastern Railway company who opened it, not in 1911 as it says over the door, but in February 1913.  It thrived under the patronage of that company, and then the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and finally British Rail until 1984 when the latter closed its works in the town, after which maintenance has been the responsibility of the membership.

The designers and builders created a beautiful facility for the people of the New Shildon locality and beyond; but all building materials have an anticipated lifespan, and a condition survey commissioned by our partners the Shildon Heritage Alliance CIC in May 2020 revealed that much of the building's fabric is either nearing or has exceeded, its serviceable life. The survey conducted by Eddisons chartered surveyors included an initial estimate of £2.27m as being necessary to prepare the building to continue to meet the needs of the membership for the century ahead.

Without an industrial patron, Shildon Railway Institute and its members and community partners, Shildon Heritage Alliance CIC, are currently involved in a Save Our Stute campaign to fundraise, locally and strategically, to meet that objective to ensure that in the worlds first industrial railway town Shildon Railway Institute continues to be there for our children and grandchildren.

When you buy anything from this store you can be confident that you are playing a part in ensuring the continuation of Timothy Hackworth's Shildon legacy, and that of generations of our forefathers  - and for that, on behalf of future generations, we thank you.