The ''Stockton Flyer'' is a kinetic sculpture in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. It is a stylised depiction of the ''

Locomotion No. 1 ''Locomotion'' No. 1 (originally named ''Active'') is an early steam locomotive that was built in 1825 by the pioneering railway engineers George and Robert Stephenson at their manufacturing firm, Robert Stephenson and Company. It became the ...

'', which first arrived in Stockton in 1825, and, as part of the

Stockton and Darlington Railway The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darl ...

had a large impact on the town. The sculpture rises from within a stone

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

at 1 p.m. every day and moves, emits smokes, and sounds a whistle. It was designed and built by Rob Higgs and was unveiled on 12 June 2016.

Description

The sculpture is normally hidden within a stone plinth near

Stockton-on-Tees Town Hall Stockton-on-Tees Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building. History The first s ...

. The sculpture is a stylised steam locomotive, inspired by

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

and

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE FRSA Doctor of Civil Law, DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railway ...

's ''

''. At 1 p.m. each day the sculpture emerges from the plinth, moves, blows its whistle and emits smoke. When fully emerged, the sculpture measures in height, including the plinth.

History

The railway was significant to the history of the Stockton; the first modern passenger railway line the

was completed in 1825. ''Locomotion No. 1'' first arrived at Stockton station on 27 September 1825. The railway was highly beneficial to the town's coal trade. In 1827 the railway was extended to the south bank of the

River Tees The River Tees (), in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has be ...

where new

staithes Staithes is a seaside village in the borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Easington and Roxby Becks, two brooks that run into Staithes Beck, form the border between the Borough of Scarborough and Redcar and Cleveland. The area l ...

were built, this later grew into the city of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. In 2013

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government servi ...

decided to commission the ''Stockton Flyer'' to commemorate the towns's railway and industrial past. It followed the construction of a static sculpture of the ''Locomotion No. 1'', a steel model at St John’s Crossing at the southern end of the town unveiled in September 2013. The council justified the second sculpture, stating, "... whilst the St John's Crossing artwork is a literal representation of ''Locomotion No. 1'' and its 1825 inaugural journey, The Stockton Flyer automata, intended for the High Street, represents our wider engineering achievements". Planning permission was granted in early September 2013. Stephenson's Rocket drawing

The ''Stockton Flyer'' was designed and built by Cornwall-based sculptor Rob Higgs. The initial design for the sculpture was criticised by some who considered it more closely resembled Stephenson's ''Rocket'', which had no connection to the town and ran instead on the

Liverpool and Manchester Railway The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the first inter-city railway in the world. It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. It was also the first railway to rely exclusively ...

. The ''Rocket'' had different propulsion and wheel arrangements to the ''Locomotion No. 1''. A revised design more closely based on ''Locomotion No. 1'' was revealed later in September 2013. By 2015 the stone plinth of the sculpture was already in place and was engraved with the poem ''The Infinite Town'' by Mark Robinson. The ''Stockton Flyer'' was unveiled on 12 June 2016 as part of commemorations of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

's 90th birthday (the

Queen's Official Birthday The King's Official Birthday (alternatively the Queen's Official Birthday when the monarch is female) is the selected day in the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those ...

). The council did not announce the cost of the sculpture, but it was part of the £38M regeneration of the High Street. The sculpture was turned off during the first COVID-19 national lockdown, but was reinstated on 4 July 2020.

References

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External links

Video showing the construction of the Stockton Flyer

Video of the Stockton Flyer in operation
2016 sculptures Kinetic sculptures Outdoor sculptures in England Stockton-on-Tees