Storylines is an artist-in-residence programme on board Northern train services between Bishop Auckland and Middlesbrough. The route follows the original Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world’s first locomotive-powered public railway which changed the way the world trades, travels and communicates.
The Storylines project, led by Sam Slatcher of Citizzen Songwriters, commissioned local artists to engage with the communities along the Bishop Line and the wider Stockton & Darlington Railway to respond creatively to what the railway means to them 200 years after its birth.
Artists including Lizzie Lovejoy, Carmen Thomson, Harry Gallagher, Rowan McCabe, Becci Sharrock and Sam Slatcher travelled between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn, gathering stories from passengers. Find out more about the artists.
The artists then translated those stories into artwork including poetry, illustrations and songs. Some of the final pieces from the project were performed at the celebration event at the Forum, Darlington on 27th September 2023.
Some beautiful films have been made featuring characters that the artists met during the project. The films were produced by Lonely Tower Film & Media and can be viewed at the bottom of this page.
The poetry from the project has been turned into beautiful posters illustrated by Lizzie Lovejoy and are displayed along the line and can be seen below.
For Lizzie Lovejoy, writer and storyteller, “there is something magical about this train journey. This line revolutionised the world of work and travel, providing opportunities for working-class people that didn’t rely on one town alone. It provided connection, between place and people. We are continuing that tradition”.
News – Album launch
The latest exciting development from the Storylines project is the production of an album of the beautiful songs and poems created throughout the project.
‘Passengers & Pioneers’ created by Sam Slatcher of Citizen Songwriters along with award winning Northeast poets, Lizzie Lovejoy, Carmen Thomson, Harry Gallagher, Rowan McCabe, Becci Sharrock, celebrates the birth of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and what it means to us today as it approaches its 200th anniversary. The album incorporates stories of passengers travelling today and archive history from the first journey in 1825.
The first songs from the album ‘Pioneers’ and ‘Take me Home’ were released on the 27th September 2024, to coincide with the 199th anniversary of the S&DR. The full ‘Passengers & Pioneers’ album will be launched on 14th March 2025 in Newcastle. The event is free of charge and will run twice, first at 12-1pm and again at 7:30-8:30pm in The Common Room Lecture Hall, a 2 min walk from Newcastle Central Station. More details to follow.
Storylines was curated by Citizen Songwriters, Supported by Bishop Line CRP, Tees Women Poets, The Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, Tracks Darlington, and Lonely Tower Film & Media. Funded by Northern, CrossCountry and Community Rail Network.
