Our school is in Bishop Auckland, which is a small market town in County Durham, England. The school is named after St.Anne's Church which is in the market place, although the school was rebuilt in 1971 about a mile and a half from the church on land known as the "pit field". Bishop Auckland used to have lots of coal mines in the area and a nearby village, Phoenix Row at Etherley, was the start of the railway line which, in 1825, was used by George Stephenson's steam engine "Locomotion" to pull the first steam powered passenger rail service from Stockton to Darlington. In nearby Shildon, Timothy Hackworth designed steam engines in the early 1800's, too.
Also, just off the market place is the Bishop's Castle which is the ancient home of the Bishops of Durham who once had the powers and rights of royal princes.
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