Excavations at Heighington Station, Newton Aycliffe
Tees Archaeology have been commissioned by the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (FoSDR) to conduct an archaeological excavation at the Grade II* listed Heighington Railway Station. This was an early proto-railway station designed as a public house and domestic accommodation to oversee a coal depot, but also accommodating passengers; marking it out as possibly the world’s first railway station (see Historic England’s listing entry for more details).
The station was bought by the FoSDR in September 2025, who are now looking to bring the site back into use. As a part of these plans, Tees Archaeology are running a community excavation with volunteers on the site, from 1st-10th September 2026. This will include investigation into the platform surface, the coals drops, and an early, short-lived lime depot shown on Thomas Dixon’s 1839 plan of the site.
