THE AGE OF STEAM

The North East of England has a rich legacy in both music and innovation. 

You've got legendary voices like Sting (from Wallsend), Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits, born in Glasgow but raised in Newcastle), and newer talents like Sam Fender flying the flag for the region.

And yep—you’re spot on about the railway! The Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened in 1825, was the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives. 

George Stephenson, born in Northumberland, was the engineering mastermind behind it all. That part of the world quite literally helped drive the industrial revolution.

In 2025, many celebrations are to be held, inspired by 200 years of passenger train travel.