Heighington Station was commissioned by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1826, during the early years when railways were evolving from coalfield waggonways into the modern transport system. The building was designed to serve both passengers and railway workers, offering shelter while waiting for trains, refreshments for travelers, and space for handling goods and parcels. Because of its role, it is now recognised as the world's first railway station.

Heighington Station holds historical significance as the site where Locomotion No. 1 was first assembled and placed on the tracks ahead of its inaugural journey in 1825. However, the location was also the scene of a tragic incident in 1828 when the locomotive's boiler exploded while taking on water, resulting in the death of its driver, John Cree.

For more than a century, the station served passengers and provided housing for railway staff. In the 1970s it was reduced to an unstaffed halt, and the buildings began to fall into disrepair. In 1984, the story came full circle when the site was restored and reopened as an inn called Locomotion No. 1, which operated until 2017.