Embroidery exhibition honours pioneering railway

Several members of Darlington Stitch and Create worked on the triptych

An embroidery and crafts group has unveiled artwork celebrating the 200th anniversary of steam-powered passenger railway.

Darlington Stitch and Create spent the last four years producing 80 pieces of art about the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), which are now on display at Darlington Library.

Former art teacher Susanne Davison designed the complex triptych, which is made up of three panels and shows the history of the railway line.

She said it had been an "enriching experience" for all the different members who created different parts of it.

Project co-ordinator for the exhibition Joy Bradshaw said the group, which has about 40 members, had contributed to Darlington culture for a long time and enjoyed celebrating the anniversary.

She said: "The anniversary is very important and we wanted to make our own contribution to make it special.

"We should all be very proud of what we have achieved."

There are 80 pieces of embroidery on display at Darlington Library

Ms Bradshaw also emphasised how important it was to keep the art of embroidery alive and encouraged others to give it a try.

Darlington Council cabinet member for resources Libby McCollum said: "Darlington Stitch and Create and their predecessors, Darlington Embroiderers Guild, have previously created work celebrating many milestones in Darlington's history including welcoming the new millennium and marking the reopening of Darlington Hippodrome.

"I am delighted that this exhibition at Darlington Library Art Gallery is reflecting our train heritage as part of the S&DR200 Festival."

She thanked all of the people who contributed their time and skill to put the exhibition together.