The town of Darlington is well-known for its association with steam, primarily for the development of the railways in the 19th century. The town boasts museums, and the oldest railway station in the world, but there are other sites that can provide interest to the steam enthusiast, one being the Tees Cottage Pumping Station that has provided the town with drinking water since 1849, and still operates its 1904 beam engine and 1914 gas engine on ‘open weekends’.
The Victorian pumping station is situated on the banks of the River Tees in the south-west of Darlington, it served the town by supplying drinking water up until 1980. Most people who live