People's memories of McDonald's in Darlington town centre

Before the fast food giant opened restaurants in retail parks and on the outskirts of locations across County Durham, they had a restaurant on Northgate. 

It might seem strange that McDonald's was situated on the high street, especially for younger people, who are used to going to Morton Park, North Road or Coatham Mundeville, but people have now remembered it.

McDonald's on Northgate (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) One person, who recalls the high street branch, said: "I miss it not being in town, and having to travel to the outskirts. It was always good service there," while another person added: "This place was amazing - I loved it here, and don't like travelling out of Darlington for McDonald's now."

As part of this, we have uncovered old photos of McDonald's, which closed in 2016.

McDonald's on Northgate (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) It was announced in February 2016 that the Northgate venue would stop trading within four months of that point. 

Before its closure, it had been in the Northgate base for nearly three decades.

Most read:

• Meet the brave football-mad Darlington brothers tackling rare blood condition

• Tragedy as pedestrian dies after one-vehicle crash on A19

• Much-loved Cheese and Wine Shop in Darlington snapped up by new owners after closure

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Get access to the latest offer for annual or monthly subscription. Click here for details.

At the time, Paul Buckingham, then McDonald’s franchisee for the Northgate restaurant, said: “I can confirm that in conjunction with McDonald’s, I have taken the difficult decision to close my restaurant on Northgate in Darlington.

“This decision was not taken lightly, especially having traded in the town centre for over 29 years.

“However, we continually review the position of our restaurants and unfortunately Northgate is no longer a viable location for us.”