Darlington railway museum could feature steam-powered brewery

DARLINGTON’S Head of Steam railway museum could have a steam-powered brewery installed in an effort to offset council cuts.

Ahead of the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway – the world’s first passenger line – in 2025, Darlington Borough Council are currently discussing how best to celebrate the area’s heritage.

But with the authority having to make £14m of cuts in the next three years alone, it has been suggested that the attraction could be privatised, or at the very least need to find an alternative source of funds – hence adding a brewery.

Steam power is not an unusual idea for a brewery, with many brewers among the first to harness the new technology when it emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

However, these days finding a steam engine in a brewery is rather rarer, with only a few companies like Oxfordshire’s Hook Norton maintaining the tradition – though even they no longer use it for the brewing process.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said the possibility of accommodating a brewery on the site had been explored.

While the Northern Echo report that a businessman with close links to the region’s brewing industry has indicated a willingness to develop a steam-powered brewery on the site.