Dial Cottage was the home of the “Father of the Railways”, George Stephenson and his engineer son Robert who lived there in the early part of the 19th Century. Grade II Listed, the cottage was originally built in the late 18th Century.

The three houses of one storey and an attic were built in two phases. The earlier build dating to the end of the 18th Century is of sandstone rubble with quoins. The later build dating to the early 19th Century is of coursed squared sandstone with quoins, pantiled roofs and with rendered chimneys.

A sundial dated 1816 is set at a slight angle above the door with a memorial tablet to George Stephenson who lived in the cottage between 1803-15 and is said to have made the sundial.

Stephenson designed his first locomotive “Blucher” in 1814 in the colliery workshop behind the cottage. Stephenson’s “Rocket” was considered to be the template for most steam engines in the world for the next 150 years.

As well as locomotion design, George Stephenson was also a pioneer in mining safety and bridge design. His son Robert was a leading engineer and established the first locomotive works in the world in Forth Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He also constructed a number of well known bridges to carry railways including the High Level Bridge, Newcastle-upon-Tyne which to this day carries rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower deck.