Henderson Rowndtree was born in West Hartlepool on the 22nd December 1912, although he was better known as Chick, a nickname given to him by his mother. In his youth he joined the choir at Abby Church of St. Hilda which had a good reputation locally for its singing quality. Here Chick honed his love... Continue Reading →

In 1907 there ran a contest in America looking for the most beautiful woman in the world. The response to this was the first ever beauty competition ran in Britain by the Daily Mirror, in 1908.  John Robert Close a jeweler in Stockton-On-Tees and an amateur photographer, sent a picture of his daughter Ivy Close... Continue Reading →

Women have been working on the railways since it first began being an economical enterprise in the 1820’s. Women were integral to the railway companies, it’s just a case that their histories weren’t wrote down, as their jobs where considered unworthy of a place in our history books. Women were given a real foot hold... Continue Reading →

A page out of Robert Robinsons Diary, Head of Steam Darlington Railway Museum. Robert was born at Wilson House, Westmorland in 1838. He came to Darlington in 1858 for his apprenticeship under Mr William Cudworth, a civil engineer on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. For three years of his training, Robert kept a diary of... Continue Reading →