Laura Littlefair – Putting Shildon on the map - the cradle of the railways

Phd researcher Laura Littlefair at Northumbria University takes us on a journey through the history of Shildon, the Railway Town.  From its agricultural origins through the huge changes that the railways brought in the early 1800s to the present day where railway and industrial heritage is central to the town people’s lives.  Education, industrial engineering and people came with the railways, in particular the wagon works, founded in 1833 and open until 1984, providing not just huge local employment but a connection between Shildon and the rest of the world through its wagon production and railway engineering.   Laura’s research looks in particular at the impact of de-industrialisation on the people of Shildon and how the railway and its legacy remains such an important part of people’s lives and identity in this resilient and fascinating northeast town.