A Brown paper parcel, wrapped up with the string by a man after the 100th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1925, and sealed with a note saying “do not open until 2025” was ceremonially opened today in front 25 of his descendants.
Members of the Dixon family, originally from Cockfield, had travelled from across the country to see find out what Waynman Dixon had parcelled up so neatly, and so secretly, exactly 100 years earlier.
And, we now know, he was a big fan of The Northern Echo.
“My great uncle put together this package, and we don’t know what is in it,” said Jeremy Dixon, 92, who had travelled up from south London for the occasion and was standing over the package with a pair of kitchen scissors.
“He was determined we were not to know what was in it, and I have had it sitting there for 60 years with people saying ‘open the blooming thing’, but no, and we are now here today as he intended.”
The Dixon family were there at the birth of the railway in 1825 – John Dixon may well have been the man on the white horse with a red flag walking in front of Locomotion No 1 and the opening train – and they went on to become renowned engineers. Waynman and his brother Sir Raylton Dixon ran a shipbuilding yard on Teesside which built 600 ships between 1874 and 1923.
Sir Raylton became mayor of Middlesbrough while Waynman went off to Egypt to carry out ground-breaking investigations into the pyramids – in 1877, he was involved in transporting Cleopatra’s Needle from Alexandria to its place on the embankment of the Thames in London.
But in 1925, he was in Darlington for the centenary celebrations and his family discovered yesterday that he had wrapped up all the memorabilia he had collected and left it for them in a brown paper package.
Watched by County Durham archivist Dr Carolyn Ball, Jeremy carefully snipped the string, undid the paper and the first item to see daylight for 100 years was a pristine copy of The Northern Echo’s huge 1925 book about the railway.
There was the menu and his ticket from the centenary dinner, plus programmes, booklets, magazines and three more copies of The Northern Echo – one sent with compliments of the editor – all relating to the celebrations. There were also copies of Waynman’s pamphlet about the railway in the package.
“I thought there must be something metal in there because it was very, very heavy, but they are all papers,” said Jeremy, without a trace of disappointment in his voice.
“I have a sense of fulfilment. He set us this challenge of keeping it wrapped for 100 years, and now it has been opened in company as he wanted.”
George Dixon, the former headteacher of Heighington school and another descendant, said: “It has been a wonderful way to honour the achievements of the Dixons. I admire them all so much, and it has been a delight to be here today with so many other Dixons.”
Caroline Hardie, trustee of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which organised the ceremony along with Dixon family historian, Jonathan Peacock of Hamsterley, said: “The string on the package wasn’t too difficult but the paper was incredibly tough, but then it just folded back.
“The Echo had obviously pulled out all the stops in 1925, there was a copy of the Yorkshire Post and Punch magazine, and the menu showed they started with cocktails and caviar.
“I feel very privileged to have been involved with Jonathan in playing a part in opening a package that was specifically said not to be opened until 2025, and I am immensely relieved that there was not a plague of locusts inside.”
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