Darlington is a large, popular town; brilliant for up and coming business owners. In a high street flooded with creative people, Darlington can put Gillian Arnold on the map.
The town is situated central to the North East, minutes away from one of the busiest rail transport links and the town itself has much to offer; full of culture and history. The high street has a blend of old and new, with independent shops and more commonly known retailers. This market town comes together every Monday and Saturday to showcase stalls and invite people from everywhere to come and join in.
There are a range of car parking in and around the Town Centre, with costs of only £1 for a whole day on Sundays.
The Summer Spectacular and The Christingle Markets are very popular events here, with food stalls, entertainment, arts and crafts. Darlington is well known for these joyous family friendly occasions. For arts and entertainment all year round, the newly re-furbished Hippodrome has something for everyone – pantomime and fun! There is also The Forum, where bands play regularly.
If you are artsy, take a look at David Mach’s brick Train, based at Morton Park. There is also the Resurgence sculpture, at the front of the Town Hall which celebrates Darlington’s engineering history. The Town Hall holds exhibitions by artists, photographers, designers, local students and local creative projects.
Darlington is known for it’s association with historic British railway. On 27 September 1825 George Stephenson‘s engine Locomotion No.1 traveled between Shildon and Stockton-on-Tees through Darlington. To see more on the railway history, you can visit the Head of Steam in Darlington or travel to the Locomotion museum in Shildon.
Darlington hosts some of the top hotels to stay in the North East, such as the 5 star, Rockcliffe Hall Hotel, Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington. Other popular hotels around Darlington are: Middleton Lodge, Houndgate Town House, Redworth Hall Hotel, Hall Garth and the Premier Inn. All of which can be located in Darlington and nearby.
For pretty walks, you can visit one of many parks and greenery around Darlington.The most popular being South Park, or enjoy the recently developed West Park. South Park hosts free outdoor concerts in the bandstand, an aviary housing parrots, sports facilities, cafe, toddler and multi-use park, bowling green and a green gym.
There are many reasons why we chose Darlington as our next stop on our journey. We knew this place would allow us to grow and we can’t wait to see what is next for us here at Gillian Arnold.
Thanks for reading!