Jane Hackworth-Young interviewed by Jo Bath

Oral history interview with Jane Hackworth-Young conducted and recorded by Jo Bath in 2004, as part of the Time Tracks oral history collecting initiative. Duration: 49 minutes. Whereabouts before moving to Northern England, family roots, father was an engineer; great, great granddaughter of Timothy Hackworth, descended from Hackworth’s youngest daughter Jane Hackworth, who married Robert Young, who helped Hackworth run the Stockton and Darlington Railway, father was a civil, mechanical and electrical engineer, family methodist background; [00:02:40] father’s efforts to get Hackworth recognised; Robert Young’s book, Hackworth papers, 1972 Shildon visit, Hackworth’s house, Hackworth statue, lack of Hackworth recognition; Smile’s book on Robert Stephenson, Wylam locomotives; father's lobbying to BBC and Northern Echo; [00:07:20] 1975 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington 150th anniversary, Shildon Town Council request for documentation to help preparations, working with her father to prepare documentation; [00:09:30] further efforts to get Hackworth recognised; support from Michael Kirby, Hackworth buildings and other relics, Hackworth family background, further lobbying, meeting with Shildon Town Council, September 1974 renovation of Hackworth’s house started, gathering of Hackworth documentation; [00:17:00] Robert Young’s book Timothy Hackworth and the Locomotive; [00:17:50] 1975 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington 150th anniversary, Hackworth Museum opening by Queen Mother (17th July 1975), Cavalcade (31st August 1975); [00:19:00] Hackworth Museum, Hackworth House, restored Soho Shed; Sans Pareil replica, Shildon railway works; summer 1980 running of Sans Pareil, Rocket and the Novelty, lack of money and expertise from Sedgefield Council to run museum, restoration of coal manager’s building; [00:23:30] 1984 closure of Shildon Works, impact on Shildon, impact on Hackworth Museum, Walter Nunn; [00:24:50] Hackworth Society (May,1976), activities; [00:25:30] Hackworth Museum, decline, Bowes Museum support, National Railway Museum arrival, opening Locomotion, 2004; personal reflections on museum 1975-2004, possible further developments; [00:28:00] Timothy Hackworth, involvement in Stockton and Darlington railway opening 1825, began own works 1830; [00:29:30] Hackworth Museum; 11th July 1975 opening by Her Majesty the Queen Mother, details of Hackworth-Young family in attendance, details of opening; [00:32:10] cavalcade 1975; [00:35:40] father’s research; blast pipe, importance of “Royal George”; [00:37:00] own involvement with Sans Pareil locomotive replica, Rainhill trials in Wales in 2002; personal views differences between Sans Pareil and Rocket locomotives; [00:39:20] personal views on early locomotive developments, element of luck, Stephenson-Hackworth rivalry; [00:40:00] Sans Pareil history, snow plough, restoration by John Hick in 1864, Rocket and Sans Pareil at the Science Museum, then National Railway Museum, now (2004) coming to Shildon, importance of having historical locomotives in London; [00:42:00] local awareness of Hackworth; growth helped by involvement of local schools, museum visits; NRM at Shildon, Locomotion museum; York and Shildon to complement each other, Hackworth to be an integral part, social side important; [00:45:00] 1975 Cavalcade franking stamp; [00:45:30] Locomotion, Hackworth involvement in rebuild, Hackworth wheels; [00:47:20] work on Hackwork archive [00:49:39] [end of interview]

Time Tracks, Shildon Railway Village Community Project was an initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund that encouraged members of the public to bring photographs and documents at Locomotion to form a community archive, when Locomotion museum was opened in Shildon, 2004. Over 50 oral history interviews were also recorded with members of the community. They shared their memories of Shildon as they knew it in their childhood and throughout their lives, from as early as the 1920s, as well as their work experiences in local factories and industries, including Shildon railway works.