View image in fullscreen With its Grade II-listed status, there’s no chance of the Cleveland Bay turning into a gastropub. “There was a pub somewhere in the north-west which reckoned it was the first purpose-built railway pub,” said Rafferty. “But their railway line didn’t open until 1827 so the Friends of Stockton and Darlington Railway said we must have a pub that’s older than their pub. So that’s when they started the research.”The revelation has not given the Cleveland Bay much in the way of airs and graces. “These seven sites are stunning examples of our railway heritage,” she said.

Source: The Guardian September 25, 2025 05:01 UTC