The ''Brick Train'' is a brick

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

located on the outskirts of the town of Darlington, in the English county of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. The sculpture was created by

David Mach David Mach (born 18 March 1956) is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist. Life and work Mach was born in Methil, Fife. His artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced objects. Typically these include magazines, ...

in 1997 to celebrate the town's railway heritage, and is modelled on the steam locomotive ''Mallard'', which set a UK rail speed record of in 1938. The locomotive is depicted as if just having exited a tunnel, with the billowing smoke typical of such an exit. The sculpture is situated adjacent to

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...

supermarket in the Morton Park shopping area to the east of Darlington town and in the civil parish of

Morton Palms Morton Palms is a civil parish in the Darlington district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 32. The parish borders Barmpton, Great Burdon, Hurworth, Middleton St. George, Neasham and Sadberge. ...

. A total of 185,000 Accrington Nori bricks were used in the sculpture's construction, and it is high and long, covering an area of . It is hollow inside and special bricks provide gaps that enable

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s to fly inside and roost. The sculpture is visible from the nearby

A66 road The A66 is a major road in Northern England, which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria. Route From its easter ...

, and was officially unveiled by Lord Palumbo of Walbrook on 23 June 1997. The work cost £760,000, which was provided by the

National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

along with smaller contributions from

Darlington Borough Council The Borough of Darlington is a unitary authority and borough in County Durham, Northern England. The borough is named after the town of Darlington, and in 2011 had a population of 106,000. It is in the Tees Valley mayoralty. The borough bord ...

Northern Arts The regional arts boards (formerly regional arts associations) were English regional subdivisions of the Arts Council of Great Britain History As the Arts Council began to move away from organising art activities in the 1950s, regional offices ...

and Morrisons.

References

{{reflist, 30em Buildings and structures in the Borough of Darlington Culture in County Durham Outdoor sculptures in England 1997 sculptures 1997 establishments in England Trains in art