September 2025 sees the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The venture steamed into the history books on September 27th, but the idea was more than fifteen years in the planning.
The original visionaries thought up a plan in 1810 and funders had an initial meeting in 1818 and the first promoters meeting was held in Yarm in 1820. We all know about The Peases, George and Robert Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth but less well known are Jeremiah Cairn, Benjamin Flounders, Francis Mewburn, Thomas Meynell, Thomas & Richard Miles and Leonard Raisbeck and others.
This talk will look at them all and put them into perspective in the history of the region at such an important point in the history of the world. The talk is part of the popular Tom Leonard Lecture Series .