Blands Corner in Darlington named after early motorist

History of Blands Corner

The triangular site between the A67 and A167 is named after one of the town’s earliest motorists. Long before roundabouts and bypasses, this area was known as Angel’s Corner, named after the Angel Inn, which stood at the junction for centuries.

The inn served mule-train drivers who transported coal from Durham to Yorkshire industries. The Angel Inn was next to Blackwell School on Angel’s Corner, now known as Blands Corner. The buildings were cleared in 1971 to make way for new developments.

While the men drank inside, their animals grazed in the surrounding Blackwell fields. The arrival of the railways ended the mule trade, leading to the Angel’s closure in 1873.

After closing, the inn became a servants’ training school and then a local school before a motor repair business opened in the Angel’s old outbuildings, run by Mr. Bland just after the First World War.

Mr. Bland added a distinctive, rounded showroom, sold Triumph cars, and possibly American-made Selden vehicles, and supplied Cleveland petrol, which later became part of Esso. Although Mr. Bland’s business was short-lived, the name stuck.

By the early 1930s, the site was operating as Blackwell Garage, but the junction had already become known locally as Blands Corner. The Reg Vardy car dealership at Blands Corner was originally called “a motor village” and is now known as Evans Halshaw.

The site continued as a garage through several owners until 1971, when the old inn, school, and garage buildings were cleared. They were replaced by the headquarters of the Cleveland Car Company, opened by Lady Anne Pease, whose grandfather founded the firm in 1904.

The business later became part of the Reg Vardy dealership and was redeveloped again in 1996 into a sprawling “motor village.” Today, it is part of the Evans Halshaw chain.

Despite decades of redevelopment, one historic feature remains. Near the lane to Blackwell Grange Golf Club is a granite animal drinking trough, installed in 1913 by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association.

The trough was installed in November 1913 to serve cattle and sheep driven long distances to the town’s weekly markets. The association was founded in 1859 to provide clean drinking water for people and animals during a time when cholera was a constant threat.

The association still exists today, restoring historic fountains and funding new ones worldwide.

Blands Corner During World War II

Blands Corner briefly made headlines during the Second World War. On May 1, 1942, a German bomber being chased by a British fighter dropped four high-explosive bombs on a field behind the garage.

Buildings around Blackwell were badly damaged, including High Linhams, a large house overlooking the River Tees. Greenhouses and garages were destroyed, and windows were blown out across the area, even two miles away in Hurworth Place.

Remarkably, the only confirmed casualties were chickens. The wartime censor prevented newspapers from naming the location, referring only to “a North-East village.”