The ''Stockton Flyer'' is a

kinetic sculpture Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or that depends on motion for its effects. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are ...

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 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 ...

'', 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 coal mining, collieries near with ...

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

plinth A pedestal 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 civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

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: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

and

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson , (honoris causa, Hon. causa) (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of hi ...

's ''

''. At 1:06 p.m. each day, (the delayed arrival time of the Locomotive), 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 England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...

where new

staithes Staithes () is a village in North Yorkshire, England, situated by the border between the unitary authorities of North Yorkshire and Redcar and Cleveland. The area located on the Redcar and Cleveland side is known as Cowbar. Formerly a hub for f ...

were built, this later grew into the city of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

. In 2013

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is the Local government in England, local authority of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, which straddles the ceremonial county, ceremonial counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire in England. Since 1996 the co ...

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. 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 Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. It ...

. 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 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's 90th birthday (the

Queen's Official Birthday The King's Official Birthday or Queen's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily correspond to the date of the m ...

). 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

{{reflist

External links

The Stockton Flyer Official Website

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