A PROPOSAL to bulldoze part of a historic pub which stands beside the trackbed of the Stockton and Darlington Railway to make way for a convenience store has been recommended for approval. Planning officers have backed the plan to create a 416sq m Sainsbury’s store in Historic England’s Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone in Middleton St George. The recommendation comes despite concerns it will serve as another serious blow to the borough’s rail heritage as the authority pushes forward with multi-million pound plans to celebrate the first passenger railway’s bi-centenary. Railway enthusiasts have highlighted how Platform One, which was previously known as the Fighting Cocks, is inextricably linked with the early days of the line.
It s Dorset Day! 10 signs you ve lived in Dorset a long time OUR beautiful county is loved by locals and visitors alike and today is extra special because it s Dorset Day. The annual event celebrates the feast of Dorset s patron saint, Saint Wite, whose relics can be found in the Church of St Candida and Holy Cross in Whitchurch Canonicorum. Her identity is mystery and different theories have emerged over the centuries. A local favourite puts her as a holy Saxon woman living as a hermit on the cliffs near Charmouth. According to tradition, she spent her nights lighting beacons to guide sailors along the rocky coastline, and was killed by Danish pirates during a raid in the 9th century while defending her local people.
FORTY years ago, Darlington’s mayor was a man who had profited from a life of crime: he was Bill Newton who wrote 125 thrillers, featuring heroic cops like Joey Binns and Miles Dresser, which had been translated into 13 different languages. Indeed, in the early years of his career, one of his stories was considered too racy for America where it was banned by magistrates and his publishers were ordered to pulp 1,200 copies. And his year wearing the golden chains of office began when he published his 84th novel, The Way to Get Dead. It was, said the Evening Despatch newspaper, “a pacey tale of crime and killing from the Darlington mayor, including a fair dollop of sex”, and the front cover featured a dead young lady in a brassiere.