An Aerial Perspective of the Stockton and Darlington Railway

Introduction to the project

One of the first pieces of research undertaken for the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone was a project which analysed and mapped the heritage assets along the course of the railway visible on aerial photographs and airborne laser scanning data (commonly known as lidar). The project area encompassed a 1 kilometre wide and 66.5 kilometre long corridor following the line of the 1825 railway between Witton Park Colliery and Stockton-on-Tees and the pre-1831 branch lines of Yarm, Black Boy, Croft, Haggerleases, Surtees and the Middlesbrough Extension.

Over five thousand aerial photographs, dating from 1924 onwards, and Environment Agency lidar were used to map the structural elements of the pre-1831 railway and to assess their current condition. The project also placed the railway in its broader archaeological landscape context – mapping all visible archaeological monuments ranging from prehistoric enclosures to Second World War military and civil defence remains.

Mapping was undertaken digitally in a GIS and is available to view via Historic England’s Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer . Additionally, many of the photographs used in the project form part of the publicly accessible archive Aerial Photo Explorer.

Aerial Sources

The railway infrastructure reached its height by the end of the 19th century and most of this remained largely unaltered until the mid-20th century. This is coincidentally when the first vertical aerial surveys were taken of the railway. 1940s aerial photographs taken by the Royal Air Force captured a unique glimpse of the railway. The clarity of some of this photography allowed such detail as buildings, under- and overbridges, level crossings, occupation crossings, culverts and trackside boundaries to be identified and mapped.

Over the years the core 1825-31 network underwent many changes including re-routings, extensions and closures. The railway visible on 1940s photography was far more extensive and complex than that built by George Stephenson. To identify those elements which related to the original railway, a series of surveys drawn up by Thomas Dixon between 1838 and 1840 were consulted. These depicted all of the main structural elements of the railway including buildings, boundaries, bridges and crossings.

Additionally, the Historic Environment Audit, undertaken by Archaeo-Environment Ltd, provided an invaluable mapping aid.

Most of the aerial photography post-dates the Second World War. Comprising large numbers of vertical and oblique photographs, these helped document the decline of the railway, especially after Dr Richard Beeching’s 1963 report ‘The Reshaping of British Railways’ when significant stretches were closed.

In addition to aerial photographs, lidar data provided a 3D view of the landscape which made it easier to identify earthwork remains such as railway cuttings and embankments. These were not shown on the Dixon surveys and were only intermittently visible on aerial photographs depending on the angle of light. Lidar data can also sometimes reveal the ground beneath tree canopies, which was useful for identifying elements of disused railway now under dense vegetation, notably in Preston Park.

All of these sources were combined to produce a detailed digital map of the remains of the original railway visible from the air. A full assessment was outlined in the ‘Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone Aerial Survey & Mapping Report ’.

The most recent vertical aerial photography, along with lidar and a series of walkover surveys as part of the Historic Environment Audit, helped chart and contextualise the physical survival of the pre-1831 railway. These have provided a useful tool, not only to provide a better understanding of the railway, but to aid its management and protection going forward.

The Railway on Aerial Photographs

Most of the aerial photography was not taken to specifically target the railway. Vertical photographs were taken for surveying purposes and many of the oblique images were targeting archaeological or urban sites. The clarity of the photographs also varies greatly, depending on the height of the aircraft at the time of capture (and therefore the scale), the weather conditions and the physical condition of the photograph itself.

The railway was however often fortuitously captured on film. The vertical runs, taken by the RAF, Ordnance Survey and commercial companies, provide broad landscape views of the railway. Despite being relatively small-scale, these were the primary mapping resource, displaying very good levels of detail. Low-level oblique photographs of the Aerofilms Collection provide some of the most illustrative imagery of the railway in use between the 1920s and 1950s.

In more recent years, the Aerial Reconnaissance team at Historic England have photographed numerous buildings and structures along the railway, as well as capturing imposing landscapes views.

Railway Condition

Several sections of the original railway had closed long before the first aerial photographs were taken, either as a result of colliery closure or diversion to new railways. The Etherley Incline closed as early as 1843, and the Brusselton West Incline was formally abandoned in 1858 following the construction of the West Auckland Branch Railway, though the track was maintained for several decades. However, with the exception of the track-bed, much of the infrastructure of these abandoned lines remained intact. Aerial photography shows the Brusselton West Incline being removed by farming and open-cast mining after the Second World War.

The East Incline remained in use until 1984, serving the Shildon Wagon Works. The Etherley Incline was largely preserved and is now scheduled in three parts:

• Belts Gill embankment, lower part of the northern Etherley Incline.
• Etherley Inclines, summit and upper sections
• Lower section of the southern Etherley Incline

Beeching’s report of 1963 resulted in the closure of part of the main-line east of Darlington and the two remaining branch lines: Haggerleases and Croft. The northern section of the Croft Branch Line had already been incorporated into the Great North of England Railway in 1841 (now part of the East Coast Main Line). The part of the line that was closed, to the south, remains moderately intact. Modern aerial photographs reveal that some of the trackside boundaries remain intact, but crossings have been removed. Other elements are beneath dense vegetation and cannot be discerned on aerial photography. The Haggerleases Branch Line remains almost entirely intact. The track-bed has been removed, but most of the boundaries remain visible, as are the cuttings and embankments and most of the bridges, including the Swin Bridge, which is Listed.

Some of the poorest survival of original infrastructure occurs along those sections of railway that remain in use. Along these sections, continued track upgrades, expansion and remodelling has removed most of the original infrastructure, though the earthwork cuttings and embankments and some buildings remain. In many instances, this change can be documented through aerial photography and the attribute data attached to the digital mapping reflects whether a feature remains extant or was demolished.

Significance and legacy of this research

The aerial mapping provides an important context for the railway – documenting the relationship with the wider landscape and how land-use and the railway itself has evolved and changed. It has helped detail what survives of the original railway as well as providing some context for what has been lost.

Aerial photographs, both historic and contemporary, provide a unique insight into the development and decline of the railway over the past century. When analysed alongside documentary sources and fieldwork, they contribute to a better understanding of a highly significant industrial landscape and of the importance of what survives. The comprehensive mapping sets out the evidence for the railway’s dramatic impact on the area and can be used as the basis for further research and for management.

Further information

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