The trains and engines were a late comer to Shildon, the reason they were needed and the reason Shildon was important was because of Coal.

Shildon lies about a mile to the south-east of Bishop Auckland. Like many towns in this area it owes it growth to the rise of the East Durham coalfields in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Shildon’s earliest settlers would probably have been groups of people who lived during the Mesolithic period – over 6000 years ago. They would have lived by collecting wild plants and and hunting wild animals. There was a small prehistoric flint tool found in the Brusselton area may have been of this date.

Romans arrived in County Durham in the 1st century AD. and built a line of forts along the main road leading north to Hadrian’s Wall. They also built many other roads in the region. Traces of probable Roman roads have been found at several places in Shildon, such as Brusselton Wood. Small settlements grew up in places alongside the course of the road.

By the end of the Anglo-Saxon period the village of Shildon had become established. However, it was not the only settlement in the area. Medieval settlements stood around Thickley.

Shildon grew much in size during the Industrial Revolution, it can claim a fundamental place in the history of the rise of world industry. The extensive expansion of coal mining meant that the traditional way of moving the coal – along horse-drawn wagon ways – was not
sufficient. Instead steam engines began to be used. At first static engines pulled the wagons, but soon moving engines – the steam train – began to be used.
George Stephenson built a track from Witton Park to Stockton-on-Tees. Static engines pulled the coal over Brussleton, after which the trucks were attached to steam engines. The remains of one of the Static engine houses can still be seen at Brusselton. Originally it just carried coal, but soon demand led to passengers being carried. The first passenger train began its journey in Shildon on 27th September 1825.

Shildon was also the home of one of overshadowed innovators of the railway industry, Timothy Hackworth. He built one of the first ever engines, the Sans Pareil. His home can still be seen; it has now been turned into a railway museum. Next door stands his workshop, the Soho Engine Words. It was developed by the engineer Timothy Hackworth from 1833. By 1855 it was a large complex of workshops and other buildings.