Darlington

Home to just 105,600 people, Darlington has one of the strongest economies in the north east, here in County Durham.

Darlington’s passenger railway was the world’s first, the market town manufactured the carriages and locomotives to keep it running, before becoming a hub for engineering and bridge building. Even the iconic clock tower was a gift from an industrialist, Joseph Pease.

The 19th century saw powerful Quaker families investing heavily in Darlington, but today in the 21st century, it’s enjoying a £10 million cash injection for the Town Centre Pedestrian Heart Project and a further £170 million boost to create Central Park.

The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company, responsible for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, are headquartered here, as are Student Finance England, while EE is the largest local employer alongside the largest Argos distribution centre in Britain. And you’re not short of talented local tradesmen either.

From plasterers in Blackwell to roofers in Harrowgate Hill and pest control in Haughton le Skerne, take your pick of local tradesmen in our Darlington directory.