Hopetown Darlington

Hopetown Darlington is a 7.5-acre site encompassing a railway museum, exhibitions, festivals, events, café and shop, a railway-themed adventure play park and time travel immersive experience ride, and the chance to view live engineering in action. 

Historians, railway enthusiasts, engineers and locals have been flocking to Darlington for years. And it’s no wonder. Darlington has a captivating 200 year internationally significant narrative, which is now told through a brilliant new attraction.

A £3.6 million investment into the interpretation of Darlington’s internationally-significant railway heritage heralds the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025. 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.