Finkle

 Darlington has a number of yards that run between Skinnergate and the High Row and they each have a dog leg bend in them known locally as a finkle. The corners of the buildings are also cut off at 45 degrees. This was to aid the passage of horse drawn carts but why the dog leg in the first place? Strap yourselves in for a potted history lesson:

The yards evolved because in medieval times, the best houses in town faced on High Row with their gardens behind. There were alleys down the sides of the houses to reach the gardens

Over time, as the wealthy people moved out to country villas, the lower floors of the High Row houses were converted into shops and cheap housing and workshops were crammed into the alleyways and spread over the gardens, creating the yards.

The yards are rarely straight because one alleyway grew west from High Row and another grew east from Skinnergate, and in the middle, a dog's leg kink was needed to join them up. This is a "finkle", which comes from an Old Norse word for elbow or bend.