Darlington's Northern Echo relocates after more than 100 years

The newspaper moved into the Darlington building in 1917

A newspaper known as the "great daily of the north" has relocated after more than 100 years at the same site.

The Northern Echo first moved into the offices in Priestgate, Darlington, in 1917 after being founded in 1870.

Hundreds of staff have worked in the building over the years. It has been sold to Darlington Borough Council which is turning part of it into an adult learning centre.

The newspaper relocated to smaller premises in the town on Monday.

Chris Lloyd said significant editions had been made at the site

Chief feature writer Chris Lloyd said campaigning headlines of historic proportions had been created inside the Priestgate building.

"In the 1960s, Harry Evans campaigned to clean up the Teesside smell, the chemical emissions on Teesside," he said.

"In the 1990s, Peter Barron campaigned for greater money to go into cardiology services on the NHS and more recently, we helped bring Hitachi to Newton Aycliffe."

The newspaper, which was once edited by William Stead who later died on the Titanic, has been edited by a number of notable people.

They include Harold Evans, who later went to edit The Times and Sunday Times.

Hannah Chapman, editor of sister title, the Darlington & Stockton Times (DST) which has also relocated, said the building on Priestgate had been considered a landmark.

The offices have been emptied ahead of redevelopment

She said: "The amount of people who have come through working for the DST and The Northern Echo, also the people who have come in here and let us tell their stories over the years, amounts to an awful lot of interesting community news."

Darlington Council has already started work on turning the building into an adult learning centre, while a consultation on the future of the upper three floors is under way.

The newspaper has moved to premises on Coniscliffe Road.