BURIED in the countryside on the northern edge of Darlington is an abandoned 17th Century farmhouse called Coatham Grange.

It is beside the Stockton & Darlington Railway – indeed there is an “accommodation bridge”, perhaps dating from 1825, which allowed the farmer and his animals to go under the line without getting run over.

The Northern Echo: Robert Stephenson, seated, with his father, George - both men used the same method to take their railway lines over notorious bogsRobert Stephenson, seated, with his father, George - both men used the same method to take their railway lines over notorious bogs

This farmhouse was once called Myers Flat and, as Memories 517 told, this area was where George Stephenson had the most difficulty when building the world’s first modern railway.

Myers Flat was a bog, and no matter how much soil George tipped it into the mud to stabilise it, it all seeped away overnight as if the fairies from Middridge had stolen it.

However, by devising a new method, George eventually conquered the bog and, five years later, when his son, Robert, came to tackle an even bigger bog while building the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, he employed the same technique.

“Robert used his father’s experiences of crossing the Durham marshland to inform how he tackled Chat Moss, the area of swamp between Liverpool and Manchester,” writes Jo Jones in Darlington. “Other engineers had also tried simply dumping tons of earth which, as George had already discovered in Darlington, sank.

“The secret, apparently, was brushwood, layered with the earth which then allowed the line to be 'floated' across, although apparently it still slightly bounces.”

At Myers Flat, George noticed that coarse plants were not drawn down into the mud but instead remained on top. He instructed the navvies to bind brushwood and heather together to create large rafts which sat on top of the marsh. Soil was then piled on top of the rafts which proved stable enough for railway tracks to be laid on them.

And so the railway was floated across the bog of Myers Flat – although this was a notoriously unstable section of track.

The Northern Echo: Cockfield-born John Dixon (1796-1865), who may have taken the idea of the floating railway line to the Liverpool & ManchesterCockfield-born John Dixon (1796-1865), who may have taken the idea of the floating railway line to the Liverpool & Manchester

George Stephenson was assisted in surveying and building the S&DR by engineer John Dixon, of the famous Cockfield family.

Robert Stephenson then appointed Dixon as the engineer in charge of taking the line across Chat Moss – so perhaps it was Dixon who was responsible for employing the ingenious floating method of conquering bogs.

The Northern Echo: The Myers Flat accommodation bridge beneath the 1825 Stockton & Darlington Railway - now the line to Bishop Auckland runs over it. Picture courtesy of Hugh MortimerThe Myers Flat accommodation bridge beneath the 1825 Stockton & Darlington Railway - now the line to Bishop Auckland runs over it. Picture courtesy of Hugh Mortimer

Indeed, it is said that at Chat Moss, the only way people could walk across the mud was by strapping planks to their feet. However, on Dixon’s first day on the job, he fell off his plank and was being sucked down to a terrible death when the other navvies managed to slap their way over to him and haul him out before the mud closed in over his head.

This is just another example of how the pioneering S&DR helped get the rest of the world on track.

A LITTLE more than 10 years ago, Coatham Grange was the centre of a controversial planning application. It had then been derelict for 30 years but its owner wanted to re-connect it with the outside world by turning part of a bridleway, called Patches Lane, into its driveway.

Patches Lane is an ancient footpath – possibly a drovers’ route – that connects Whessoe, at the northern edge of Darlington, with Aycliffe Village via Hill House Farm. Hill House Farm, which has recently been demolished for the new Junction 59 industrial estate, featured in Memories last April as in 1888, the Robinson family emigrated from it to Canada where one of them was murdered.

The Northern Echo: Duchess of Sutherland successfully crosses Chat Moss in 2016Duchess of Sutherland successfully crosses Chat Moss in 2016

At Coatham Grange, after several years of modification, permission was granted for the restoration of the farm although Patches Lane – a very popular walking route – was to remain untouched.

However, we don’t think Coatham Grange has been restored – we found it being advertised for sale in 2015 on a website called wreckoftheweek.com.

Any info on it, or Patches Lane, is most welcome…