Paint analysed at 'world's oldest' station

An analysis of the paint used at what is believed to be the world's oldest railway station is being carried out in a bid to identify the colour of its original decor.

Dating back to 1827, Heighington Station, in County Durham, was part of the Stockton and Darlington railway line, which was the first passenger railway to use steam trains.

Derelict since 2017 the building is now owned by Friends of Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), and the charity is currently considering ways to bring it back into use.

Along with the paint analysis, an archaeological excavation of the cobbled platform in front of the station building, is due to take place the first two weeks of September.

The station sits on the site of the 26-mile long line from Witton Park to Stockton which opened in 1825.

When the line closed in the 1960s the building found a second life as a pub, but closed in 2017.

In 2024, the building was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register and a year later was taken over by Friends of S&DR after a fundraising appeal.

Caroline Hardie, trustee at the charity said: "It's all to do with getting the site back into economic use.

"The paint analysis is a bid to determine the original colour scheme, as we want to bring it back to life as a Georgian tavern, with food and drink served by people wearing original costume.

"The original station would have had an area serving refreshments to travellers so that's where the idea came from.

"We're already looking at Georgian recipes, although maybe tweaking them a bit for modern tastes."

The bespoke carvings, referencing the station's history, will be sold at auction [Friends of the S&DR]

Fundraising continues, and Friends of S&DR has received some bespoke carvings from the Cleveland Carving Club, which it plans to sell.

Hardie added: "It was a lovely surprise to be given them.

"We hope to auction them, along with other donated items, perhaps at a big fundraising banquet next year - harking back to the banquets which used to take place in the 19th Century.

"In those ones women weren't allowed to take part, they had to sit in a separate gallery and watch the men eat, not even allowed to eat themselves.

"But now it's up to us and maybe this time we'll let the men in."

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Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway