Shildon's 2025 S&DR Celebratory "Little Street Cavalcade" Parade.

This is the place to find out everything you need to know about Shildon's 'Little Street Cavalcade' that was held on Saturday 2nd August 2025 as part of our town's S&DR Bicentenary Celebrations.

So, how did it all go? We've put some of our favorite photographs here so you can see for yourself. Click any photograph to see it full size and download any that you would like to keep.

Yes - we did it! Just some of the representatives of the different community groups that worked together to breathe life into the Little Street Cavalcade - though there were many others.

The "Little Street Cavalcade" Parade Organising Committee at the final pre-parade meeting at Shildon Civic Hall on 24 July 2025..

Shildon's Little Street Cavalcade a great home-made success - thanks to you.

The many facets of Shildon came together on Saturday 2nd August to present their very best selves in a grassroots organised parade that honoured the tradition of celebrations past, this time to mark the two-hundredth year since the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, a venture to which this town was of vital importance. Fears of inclement weather were swept aside as the morning proved to be bright, dry and still, if slightly overcast though there were spells of sunshine throughout. As the hour neared the pavements along the parade route quickly swelled with onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of, or photograph, friends, family members and even strangers taking part on the parade, while the bus station end of Church Street became a hive of activity as groups met up and prepared their creations for the parade, some of which was being revealed and assembled for the first time.

Along the parade route, lined with official S&DR 200 yellow and blue festival bunting, several of the local businesses, in the spirit of the occasion, had put on displays of their own, such as the magnificent replica Locomotion No 1, draped in plant life outside the Forget-Me-Not florist and the rich display of memorabilia in the window of All Cyced Up. The forming up of the parade, under the watchful eye of volunteer route marshals in their hi-viz jackets, was delayed slightly by the late arrival of the last bus to be allowed to pass before the road closure was enforced, but soon everyone was in place in their appointed order and it was time for the parade to commence.

Commencing proceedings with a traditional ‘double tap’ of the bass drum, the Aycliffe and Brancepeth Brass Band had the honour of being the leading musicians, blasting forth rousing march music from years gone by and following Shildon’s Mayor for the year, Councillor David Bell, brightly dressed on account of his also acting as a volunteer marshal. Then came one of the highlights of the parade, a steam road roller which, though not a railway locomotive, evoked the power and heady steam borne fragrances of that first ever steam hauled passenger journey back in 1825. A fleet of veteran busses followed bringing the nostalgia of long lost names in transport back to the centre of town, along with a vintage van.

The Aycliffe Pipes and Drums then led the pedestrian section of the parade, starting with the pre-school children and parents with their little blue loco and brightly coloured flags declaring the names of local collieries. A group of young people in their flat caps brought the first banner of the parade, followed by some gaily dressed ladybirds with the patchwork banner from the Jubilee Fields Ladies Club, and then a magnificent crochet early locomotive, complete with driver, that had been cleverly mounted on a shopping trolley, with it’s box wagons behind and then ladies from the Jubilee Fields craft group in period costume with their banner. The Rainbows were next with their brightly painted placards held high with beautifully coloured locomotives. Behind them of course were the Brownies and Guides with their own bright banners declaring their presence boldly. Scouts were next following their standard, with several of the troupe lined up in uniform in a marvellous little walking locomotive of their own making. Then the Shildon Youth Group brought a contemporary flair to the spectacle with their magnificent graffiti art banners along with one for Thornhill School.

Next in line were the Auckland Shanty Singers, again in period costume with a banner they had cunningly supported on the shafts of sweeping brushes. After this came staff, committee and members of the town’s ancient and pioneering Railway Institute with their bright red banner showing a portrait of their founder Timothy Hackworth. Just behind, and punctuated by members of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and Brusselton Incline Group with their little locomotives in tow, were a group reviving memories of Shildon Works with the antique Shildon Works NUR banner which has seen several parades and in recent years has made appearances at the Durham Miners Gala. Then we saw the veterans and members of the Shildon Branch of the Royal British Legion proclaim their role in the town with their traditional standard, and also a new hand-painted banner depicting British servicemen and women. Just behind came the staff and volunteers from the town’s Locomotion museum decked in yellow uniform with a huge replica of Stephenson's famous Locomotion No.1 engine, bell ringing out to warn everyone in its path of its coming, and bedecked with hand written memories of rail journeys past. Nobly bringing up the rear or the parade and filling the air with joyous sound were the pipes and drums band from Houghton, invited and much appreciated visitors for the day they piped the following crowd along their way past the statue of Timothy Hackworth in the Town Square, and the war memorial round the corner onto Central Parade and down into the Rec.

Down in the park where the parading groups disbanded and fastened up their creations on display, the Town Council, with some funding support from the S&DR 200 Festival, had set up and laid on a tremendous "Spirit of the Railways” fun day, with countless features including a helter-skelter, zorbing, flyball and animal displays for everyone to enjoy. There were refreshments galore available, and once again the broad range of community groups from across the town and further afield played their part in the spectacle.

“It’s been an amazing day,” one of the parade committee told us afterward, “and what’s been so special about it has been that this was an occasion we created for ourselves, though of course we really appreciate the solid support from Shildon Town Council’s officers, particularly for taking on the laborious administrative task and costly business of negotiating and arranging the road closures and getting the necessary approvals from the County Council. What really made this though was folk from the town and surrounding area getting into the spirit of working together and making all those wondrous little creations - the flags and banners, the costumes, the little locomotives, and the big of course. Everyone showed today that it's true that when we come together like this we’re one amazing, unique and special place. I hope that we made some lasting memories for our young folk and in fifty years time Shildonians will look back at the evidence of this day, feel the same and be inspired to do their own thing too."

What was the Parade Route?

Who took part?

Our parade was put together through the efforts of the following groups and organisations:

• Aycliffe & Brancepeth Brass Band
• The Auckland Shanty Singers
• Royal British Legion Shildon Branch
• Shildon Railway Institute
• Shildon Masonic Hall
• Locomotion
• Jubilee Fields Ladies Group
• Jubilee Fields Playgroup
• Houghton-Le-Spring Pipe Band
• Byerley Road Pre-School
• 1st Shildon Baden-Powell Scout Group
• 4th Shildon St John's Rainbows & Brownies
• 2nd Shildon Guides & Rangers
• Aycliffe Pipes & Drums Band
• Bishop Auckland Community Fire Brigade
• Yesterbus Classic Vehicle Group
• Steam Vehicles
• Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway
• Afterschool Kids Club
• Shildon Community Bus
• Shildon YMCA Youth Group
• Coffee & Craft Club

The Parade Organising Committee's Constitution:

The parade organising committee are a collective from groups across Shildon at the surrounding area. This committee has the additional organisational and administrative backing of officers from Shildon Town Council.

On Thursday January 9th 2025 all present at the Organising Committee Meeting agreed to adopt a 'Constitution' setting out the terms under which the Committee is convened and will operate.

You can read that constitution HERE

Having a parade is one of Shildon's greatest traditions - we were following in the footsteps of our forefathers:

Though they have fallen out of favour in recent decades, mostly due to the exorbitant cost of arranging road closures or ever tightening health and safety concerns, generations of Shildon folk have marked special occasions with a parade. Whether it was to mark the coming of the first fresh water supply in 1868, the opening of the Recreation Ground in 1912, or just the opening of the annual Shildon Show, Shildon people have always had a knack of self-organising and showing their best in a parade. Music was always a part of that tradition, with the town not only having several bands to be proud of, but being home to two of the world's greatest composers of band music of their generation in George Allan and Tom Bulch. So, with that in mind we felt it was the perfect way, despite our limited means, to show how proud we are of our town in this celebratory year - two hundred years on from when the first steam hauled railway journey to carry passengers set off from Shildon along the Stockton and Darlington Railway route to the mouth of the River Tees. 

Our sincere thanks are due to the following:

Shildon Town Council - for approving our ambition and agreeing to act as administrative partner.

The official S&DR 200 Festival - for assisting in funding to cover essential cost of road closures and materials for the groups to make objects for the parade.

Northern Heartlands & Ambitious Motion Pictures - for agreeing to capture the event on video for posterity so that like celebrations past it can be remembered through the generations.

Shildon Town Crier (part of South West Durham News) - For agreeing to be an official communications partner distributing news of the parade across Shildon