| Hartlepool | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Ahart (red stag) | |
  Hartlepool Location withinCounty Durham | |
| Population | 92,600 |
| Demonym | Hartlepudlian |
| OS grid reference | NZ508331 |
| • London | 261 miles (420 km) |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Areas of the town | |
| Post town | HARTLEPOOL |
| Postcode district | TS24–TS27 |
| Dialling code | 01429 |
| Police | Cleveland |
| Fire | Cleveland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Hartlepool (/ˈhɑːrtlɪpuːl/HART-lih-pool) is an industrialport town inCounty Durham, England. It is governed by aunitary authority boroughnamed after the town. The borough is part of the devolvedTees Valley area with an estimated population of 92,600.[1]
Theold town was founded in the 7th century, around the monastery ofHartlepool Abbey, on a headland. As the village grew into a town, in the Middle Ages, its harbour served as theCounty Palatine of Durham's official port. The new town ofWest Hartlepool was created, in 1835, after a new port was built and railway links from the South Durhamcoal fields (to the west) and from Stockton-on-Tees (to the south) were created. A parliamentary constituency covering both the old town and West Hartlepool was created, in 1867, calledThe Hartlepools. The two towns were formally merged into a singleborough called Hartlepool, in 1967.[2] Following the merger, the name of the constituency was changed from The Hartlepools to justHartlepool, in 1974. The modern town centre and mainrailway station are both at what was West Hartlepool; the old town is now generally known as theHeadland.
Industrialisation and the start of a shipbuilding industry in the later part of the 19th century meant it was a target for theImperial German Navy at the beginning of the First World War. A bombardment of 1,150 shells on 16 December 1914 resulted in the death of 117 people in the town. A severe decline in heavy industries and shipbuilding following the Second World War caused periods of high unemployment until the 1990s when major investment projects and the redevelopment of the docks area into theHartlepool Marina saw a rise in the town's prospects. The town also has aseaside resort calledSeaton Carew.
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The place name derives fromOld Englishheort ("hart"), referring tostags seen, andpōl (pool), a pool of drinking water which they were known to use.[3] Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this:
ANorthumbrian settlement developed in the 7th century aroundan abbey founded in 640 bySaint Aidan (an Irish Christian priest) upon a headland overlooking a natural harbour and the North Sea. The monastery became powerful underSt Hilda, who served as itsabbess from 649 to 657. The 8th-centuryNorthumbrian chroniclerBede referred to the spot on which today's town is sited as "the place where deer come to drink", and in this period the Headland was named by theAngles asHeruteu (Stag Island). Archaeological evidence has been found below the current high tide mark that indicates that an ancient post-glacial forest by the sea existed in the area at the time.[4]
The Abbey fell into decline in the early 8th century, and it was probably destroyed during a sea raid byVikings on the settlement in the 9th century.[3][5] In March 2000, the archaeological investigation television programmeTime Team located the foundations of the lost monastery in the grounds of St Hilda's Church.[6] In the early 11th century, the name had evolved intoHerterpol.
During the Norman Conquest, the De Brus family gained over-lordship of the land surrounding Hartlepool.William the Conqueror subsequently ordered the construction ofDurham Castle, and the villages under their rule were mentioned in records, in 1153, whenRobert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale becameLord of Hartness. The town's first charter was received before 1185, for which it gained its first mayor, an annual two-week fair and a weekly market.[3][5] TheNorman Conquest affected the settlement's name to form theMiddle EnglishHart-le-pool ("The Pool of the Stags").[7]
By theMiddle Ages, Hartlepool grew into an important market town. One of the reasons for its growing wealth was that its harbour was the official port of theCounty Palatine of Durham. With fishing as the main industry, Hartlepool became one of the primary ports on England's Eastern coast.
In 1306,Robert the Bruce was crownedKing of Scotland, and became the last Lord of Hartness.King Edward I confiscated the title to Hartlepool, and began to improve the town's military defences in expectation of war.[5] In 1315, before they were completed, a Scottish army underSir James Douglas attacked, captured and looted the town.[3][8]
In the late 15th century, a pier was constructed to assist in the harbour's workload.[9]
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Hartlepool was once again militarily occupied by a Scottish incursion, this time in alliance with theParliamentary Army during theEnglish Civil War, which after 18 months was relieved by an English Parliamentarian garrison.[3]
In 1795, Hartlepool artillery emplacements and defences were constructed in the town as a defensive measure against the threat of French attack from seaborne Napoleonic forces. During theCrimean War, two coastal batteries were constructed close together in the town to guard against the threat of seaborne attacks from theImperial Russian Navy. They were entitled theLighthouse Battery (1855) and theHeugh Battery (1859).[5]
Hartlepool, in the 18th century, became known as a town with medicinal springs, particularly theChalybeate Spa near the Westgate. The poetThomas Gray visited the town in July 1765 to "take the waters", and wrote to his friend William Mason:[10]
I have been for two days to taste the water, and do assure you that nothing could be salter and bitterer and nastier and better for you... I am delighted with the place; there are the finest walks and rocks and caverns.
A few weeks later, he wrote in greater detail to James Brown:[11]
The rocks, the sea and the weather there more than made up to me the want of bread and the want of water, two capital defects, but of which I learned from the inhabitants not to be sensible. They live on the refuse of their own fish-market, with a few potatoes, and a reasonable quantity of Geneva [gin] six days in the week, and I have nowhere seen a taller, more robust or healthy race: every house full of ruddy broad-faced children. Nobody dies but of drowning or old-age: nobody poor but from drunkenness or mere laziness.
By the early nineteenth century, Hartlepool was still a small town of around 900 people, with a declining port. In 1823, the council andBoard of Trade decided that the town needed new industry, so the decision was made to propose a new railway to make Hartlepool a coal port, shipping out minerals from the Durhamcoalfield. It was in this endeavour thatIsambard Kingdom Brunel visited the town in December 1831, and wrote: "A curiously isolated old fishing town – a remarkably fine race of men. Went to the top of the church tower for a view."
But the plan faced local competition from new docks. 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the north, theMarquis of Londonderry had approved the creation of the newSeaham Harbour (opened 31 July 1831), while to the south theClarence Railway connectedStockton-on-Tees andBillingham to a new port atPort Clarence (opened 1833). Further south again, in 1831 theStockton and Darlington Railway had extended into the new port ofMiddlesbrough.
The council agreed the formation of theHartlepool Dock and Railway Company (HD&RCo) to extend the existing port by developing new docks, and link to both local collieries and the developing railway network in the south. In 1833, it was agreed thatChristopher Tennant ofYarm establish the HD&RCo, having previously opened the Clarence Railway (CR). Tennant's plan was that the HD&RCo would fund the creation of a new railway, theStockton and Hartlepool Railway, which would take over the loss-making CR and extended it north to the new dock, thereby linking to the Durham coalfield.
After Tennant died, in 1839, the running of the HD&RCo was taken over by Stockton-on-Tees solicitor,Ralph Ward Jackson. But Jackson became frustrated at the planning restrictions placed on the old Hartlepool dock and surrounding area for access, so bought land which was mainly sand dunes to the south-west, and establishedWest Hartlepool. Because Jackson was so successful at shipping coal from West Hartlepool through hisWest Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company and, as technology developed, ships grew in size and scale, the new town would eventually dwarf the old town.
The 8-acre (3.2-hectare) West Hartlepool Harbour and Dock opened on 1 June 1847. On 1 June 1852, the 14-acre (5.7-hectare) Jackson Dock opened on the same day that a railway opened connecting West Hartlepool toLeeds, Manchester andLiverpool. This allowed the shipping of coal and wool products eastwards, and the shipping of fresh fish and raw fleeces westwards, enabling another growth spurt in the town. This in turn resulted in the opening of the Swainson Dock on 3 June 1856, named after Ward Jackson's father-in-law.
In 1878, the William Gray & Co shipyard in West Hartlepool achieved the distinction of launching the largest tonnage of any shipyard in the world, a feat to be repeated on a number of occasions.[12] By 1881, old Hartlepool's population had grown from 993 to 12,361, but West Hartlepool had a population of 28,000. Ward Jackson helped to plan the layout of West Hartlepool and was responsible for the first public buildings. He was also involved in the education and the welfare of the inhabitants. In the end, he was a victim of his own ambition to promote the town: accusations of shady financial dealings, and years of legal battles, left him in near-poverty. He spent the last few years of his life in London, far away from the town he had created.
Hartlepool during the First World War
The area became heavily industrialised with anironworks (established in 1838) andshipyards in the docks (established in the 1870s). By 1913, no fewer than 43 ship-owning companies were located in the town, with the responsibility for 236 ships. This made it a key target for Germany in theFirst World War. One of the first German offensives against Britain was a raid and bombardment by theImperial German Navy on the morning of 16 December 1914,[13]
Hartlepool was hit with a total of 1150 shells, killing 117 people. Two coastal defence batteries at Hartlepool returned fire, launching 143 shells, and damaging three German ships:SMSSeydlitz,SMSMoltke andSMSBlücher. The Hartlepool engagement lasted roughly 50 minutes, and the coastal artillery defence was supported by the Royal Navy in the form of four destroyers, two light cruisers and a submarine, none of which had any significant impact on the German attackers.
Private Theophilus Jones of the 18th BattalionDurham Light Infantry, who fell as a result of this bombardment, is sometimes described as the first military casualty on British soil by enemy fire.[14] This event (the death of the first soldiers on British soil) is commemorated by the 1921Redheugh Gardens War Memorial together with a plaque unveiled on the same day (seven years and one day after the East Coast Raid) at the spot on the Headland (the memorial by Philip Bennison[15] illustrates four soldiers on one of fourcartouches and the plaque, donated by a member of the public, refers to the 'first soldier' but gives no name). A living history group, the Hartlepool Military Heritage Memorial Society, portray men of that unit for educational and memorial purposes.
Hartlepudlians voluntarily subscribed more money per head to the war effort than any other town in Britain.[16]
Hartlepool between the wars
On 4 January 1922, a fire starting in a timber yard left 80 people homeless and caused over £1,000,000 of damage.[17][18] Hartlepool suffered badly in theGreat Depression of the 1930s and endured high unemployment.
Hartlepool during the Second World War
Unemployment decreased during theSecond World War, with shipbuilding and steel-making industries enjoying a renaissance. Most of its output for the war effort were "Empire Ships". German bombers raided the town 43 times, though, compared to the previous war, civilian losses were lighter with 26 deaths recorded by Hartlepool Municipal Borough[19] and 49 by West Hartlepool Borough.[20] During the Second World War,RAF Greatham (also known as RAF West Hartlepool) was located on the SouthBritish Steel Corporation Works.
In 1891, the two towns had a combined population of 64,000. By 1900, the two Hartlepools were, together, one of the three busiest ports in England.[21]
The modern town represents a joining of "Old Hartlepool", locally known as the "Headland", and the larger town ofWest Hartlepool. The two towns were formally unified in 1967. Today the term "West Hartlepool" is rarely heard outside the context of sport, but one of the town'sRugby Union teams still retains the name.
The name of the town's professional football club reflected both boroughs; when it was formed in 1908, following the success of West Hartlepool in winning the FA Amateur Cup in 1905, it was called "Hartlepools United" in the hope of attracting support from both towns. When the boroughs combined in 1967, the club renamed itself "Hartlepool" before re-renaming itselfHartlepool United in the 1970s. Many fans of the club still refer to the team as "Pools"
After the war, industry went into a severe decline.Blanchland, the last ship to be constructed in Hartlepool, left the slips in 1961. In 1967, Betty James wrote how "if I had the luck to live anywhere in the North East [of England]...I would live near Hartlepool. If I had the luck".[22] There was a boost to the retail sector in 1970 when Middleton Grange Shopping Centre was opened byPrincess Anne,[23] with over 130 new shops includingMarks & Spencer andWoolworths.
Before the shopping centre was opened, the old town centre was located around Lynn Street, but most of the shops and the market had moved to a new shopping centre by 1974. Most of Lynn Street had by then been demolished to make way for a new housing estate. Only the north end of the street remains, now called Lynn Street North. This is where the Hartlepool Borough Council depot was based (alongside the Focus DIY store) until it moved to the marina in August 2006.
In 1977, theBritish Steel Corporation closed its Hartlepool steelworks, with the loss of 1500 jobs.[24] In the 1980s, the area was afflicted with extremely high levels of unemployment, at its peak consisting of 30 per cent of the town's working-age population, the highest in the United Kingdom.[25] 630 jobs at British Steel were lost in 1983, and a total of 10,000 jobs were lost from the town in the economic de-industrialization of England's former Northern manufacturing heartlands.[25][26] Between 1983 and 1999, the town lacked a cinema and areas of it became afflicted with the societal hallmarks of endemic economic poverty:urban decay, high crime levels,drug and alcohol dependency being prevalent.[21]
Docks near the centre were redeveloped and reopened byQueen Elizabeth II in 1993 as a marina.[27] The accompanyingNational Museum of the Royal Navy opened in 1994, then known as the Hartlepool Historic Quay.[28]
A development corporation is under consultation until August 2022 to organise projects, with thetown's fund given to the town and other funds. Plans would be (if the corporation is formed) focused on the railway station, waterfront (including the Royal Navy Museum and a new leisure centre)[29] andChurch Street. Northern School of Art also has funds for a TV and film studios.[30]
On 2 August 2024far-right activists and othersattacked police, threw stones at a mosque and looted shops after anti-immigrant misinformation was spread on social media.[31]
There is one main tier of local government covering Hartlepool, atunitary authority level:Hartlepool Borough Council. There is acivil parish covering Headland, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; most of the rest of the urban area is anunparished area.[32] The borough council is a constituent member of theTees Valley Combined Authority, led by the directly electedTees Valley Mayor. The borough council is based at the Civic Centre on Victoria Road.
Hartlepool was historically atownship in theancient parish ofHart. Hartlepool was also anancient borough, having been granted a charter byKing John in 1200.[33][34] The borough was reformed to become amunicipal borough in 1850.[35] The council builtHartlepool Borough Hall to serve as its headquarters, being completed in 1866.[36]
West Hartlepool was laid out on land outside Hartlepool's historic borough boundaries, in the neighbouring parish ofStranton. A body ofimprovement commissioners was established to administer the new town in 1854.[37] The commissioners were superseded in 1887, when West Hartlepool was also incorporated as a municipal borough.[38] The new borough council built itself a headquarters at the Municipal Buildings on Church Square, which was completed in 1889.[39] An events venue and public hall on Raby Road calledWest Hartlepool Town Hall was subsequently completed in 1897.[40] In 1902 West Hartlepool was elevated to become acounty borough, making it independent fromDurham County Council. The old Hartlepool Borough Council amalgamated with West Hartlepool Borough Council in 1967 to form a county borough called Hartlepool.[41]
In 1974 the borough was enlarged to take in eight neighbouring parishes, and was transferred to the new county ofCleveland.[42] Cleveland was abolished in 1996 following theBanham Review, which gave unitary authority status to its four districts, including Hartlepool. The borough was restored to County Durham forceremonial purposes under theLieutenancies Act 1997, but as a unitary authority it is independent from Durham County Council.[43]
After boundary changes introduced in 2019, the borough is now divided into 12 electoral wards, each of which elects three councillors who make up the 36 councillors of the borough council.
| Burn Valley | De Brus | Fens & Greatham | Foggy Furze |
| Hart | Headland & Harbour | Throston | Manor House |
| Rural West | Seaton | Victoria | Rossmere |
Hartlepool is represented in theHouse of Commons by one Member of Parliament. The current MP for theHartlepool constituency isJonathan Brash of theLabour Party. He was elected at the2024 general election with 46.2% of the vote.[44]
Members of Parliament for Hartlepool since 1945 have been:
| Colour key |
|---|
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Offices held | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Thomas Jones | 1945–1959 | Labour | ||
| John Simon Kerans | 1959–1964 | Conservative | ||
| Edward Leadbitter | 1964–1992 | Labour | ||
| Peter Mandelson | 1992–2004 | Labour | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (11 October 1999 – 24 January 2001), Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (27 July 1998 – 23 December 1998), Minister without Portfolio (2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998) | |
| Iain Wright | 2004–2017 | Labour | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for 14–19 Reform and Apprenticeships (9 June 2009 – 11 May 2010) | |
| Mike Hill | 2017–2021 | Labour | ||
| Jill Mortimer | 2021–2024 | Conservative | ||
| Jonathan Brash | 2024– | Labour | ||
Mandelson, the MP between 1992 and 2004, resigned to take up a role in theEuropean Commission. On 13 October 2008, he was created Baron Mandelson ofFoy and Hartlepool following his appointment asSecretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the British Government.
Hartlepool falls within the jurisdiction ofCleveland Fire Brigade andCleveland Police. Before 1974, it was under the jurisdiction of theDurham Constabulary andDurham Fire Brigade.[45] Hartlepool has two fire stations: a full-time station atStranton[46] and a retained station on the Headland.
| Place | Distance | Direction | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington | 18 miles (29 km)[47] | South west | Combined Authority area |
| Sunderland | 17 miles (27 km)[48] | North | Largest settlement in thehistoric county of Durham |
| Durham | 16 miles (26 km)[49] | North | Historiccounty town and closest city |
| Stockton | 9 miles (14 km)[50] | South west | Combined Authority area |
| Middlesbrough | 8 miles (13 km)[51] | South | Combined Authority area |
Nearby towns include:Seaham (17 mi or 27 km),Sedgefield (13 mi or 21 km),Billingham (8 mi or 13 km) andPeterlee (8 mi or 13 km). Beyond the far side of theTees Bay, on the other side of theRiver Tees, the distant monument onEston Nab can be seen on clear days.
Hartlepool's economy has historically been linked with the maritime industry, something which is still at the heart of local business. Hartlepool Dock is owned and run byPD Ports.[52] Engineering related jobs employ around 1700 people.[52]Tata Steel Europe employ around 350 people in the manufacture of steel tubes, predominantly for the oil industry.[52] South of the town on the banks of the Tees,Able UK operates theTeesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre (TERRC), a large scale marine recycling facility and dry dock. Adjacent to the east of TERRC is theHartlepool nuclear power station, anadvanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) type nuclear power plant opened in the 1980s. It is the single largest employer in the town, employing 1 per cent of the town's working age people.[52]
The chemicals industry is important to the local economy. Companies includeHuntsman Corporation, who producetitanium dioxide for use in paints,Omya andFrutarom.[52]
Tourism was worth £48 million to the town in 2009; this figure excludes the impact of the Tall Ships 2010.[53] Hartlepool's historic links to the maritime industry are centred on theMaritime Experience, and the supporting exhibitsPSWingfield Castle andHMSTrincomalee.
Camerons Brewery was founded in 1852 and currently employs around 145 people.[54] It is one of the largest breweries in the UK. Following a series of take-overs, it came under the control of theCastle Eden Brewery in 2001 who merged the two breweries, closing down theCastle Eden plant.[55] It brews a range ofcask and bottled beers, includingStrongarm, a 4%abvbitter. The brewery is heavily engaged in contract brewing such beers asKronenbourg 1664,John Smith's andFoster's.[56]
Orchid Drinks of Hartlepool were formed in 1992 after a management buy out of the soft drinks arm of Camerons.[57] They manufacturedPurdey's andAmé. Following a £67 million takeover byBritvic, the site was closed down in 2009.
Middleton Grange Shopping Centre is the main shopping location. 2800 people are employed in retail.[52] The ten major retail companies in the town areTesco,Morrisons,Asda,Next,Argos,Marks & Spencer,Aldi,Boots andMatalan.[52] Aside from the local sports clubs, other local entertainment venues include aVUE Cinema andMecca Bingo.
Companies that have moved operations to the town for theoffshore wind farm includeSiemens andVan Oord.[58]
Since November 2014 the Headland has hosted the annual Wintertide Festival, which is a weekend long event that starts with a community parade on the Friday and culminating in a finale performance and fireworks display on the Sunday.[59]
On 28 June 2006 Hartlepool celebrated after winning its bid to hostThe Tall Ships' Races.[60] The town welcomed up to 125tall ships in 2010, after being chosen by race organiser Sail Training International to be the finishing point for the race. Hartlepool greeted the ships, which sailed fromKristiansand in Norway on the second and final leg of the race.Hartlepool also hosted the race in July 2023. It was the first stop after starting atDen Helder (Netherlands).
Hartlepool Art Gallery is located in Church Square within Christ Church, a restoredVictorian church, built in 1854 and designed by the architectEdward Buckton Lamb (1806–1869). The gallery's temporary exhibitions change frequently and feature works from local artists and the permanent Fine Art Collection, which was established by Sir William Gray.[61] The gallery also houses the Hartlepooltourist information centre.
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The Heugh Battery Museum is located onthe Headland. It was one of three batteries erected to protect Hartlepool's port in 1860. The battery was closed in 1956 and is now in the care of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust and home to anartillery collection.
Hartlepool is home to aNational Museum of the Royal Navy (more specifically theNMRN Hartlepool). Previously known simply as The Historic Quay and Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, the museum is a re-creation of an 18th-century seaport with the exhibition centre-piece being a sailing frigate,HMS Trincomalee. The complex also includes theMuseum of Hartlepool.
Willows was the Hartlepool mansion of the influential Sir William Gray ofWilliam Gray & Company and he gifted it to the town in 1920, after which it was converted to be the town's first museum and art gallery.[62] Fondly known locally as "The Gray" it was closed as a museum in 1994 and now houses the local authority's culture department.[63]
There are sixlibraries in Hartlepool, the primary one being the Community Hub Central Library. Others are Throston Grange Library, Community Hub North Library, Seaton Carew Library, Owton Manor Library and Headland Branch Library.[64]
Hartlepool is served by two major roads which are theA179 road and theA689 road, both linking the town to theA19 road. TheA179 road is the main road to the north-west which leads to theA19 road,Durham,Sunderland andTyneside. TheA689 road is the main road to the south-west towards the A19 &Billingham,Stockton,Middlesbrough andYork. TheA178 road leads south toSeaton Carew,Graythorp,Seal Sands,Port Clarence andMiddlesbrough via theTransporter bridge. TheA1086 road leads north toCrimdon,Blackhall,Horden,Peterlee andEasington.
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Hartlepool is served byHartlepool andSeaton Carew railway stations, both of which lie on theDurham Coast Line with hourly services toSunderland,Newcastle andMiddlesbrough, which are operated byNorthern. A service toLondon King's Cross from Sunderland, operated byGrand Central that usesClass 180 trains capable of 125 mph (200 km/h) operates from the former of the two stations. The service marks the first time since the 1980s[65] that Hartlepool has had a direct rail link with London which takes around three and a half hours.[66]
Local bus services are provided around the town mainly byStagecoach North East. The operator has the service 36 from Hartlepool toBillingham,Stockton andMiddlesbrough, as well as the faster service 1 toMiddlesbrough viaSeaton Carew and Port Clarence.
Other services are provided byArriva North East from Hartlepool toPeterlee,Durham,Seaham, andSunderland.
Hartlepool has been a major seaport virtually since it was founded, and has a long fishing heritage. During the industrial revolution massive new docks were created on the southern side of the channel running below the Headland, which gave rise to the town ofWest Hartlepool.
Now owned byPD Ports, the docks are still in use today and still capable of handling large vessels. However, a large portion of the former dockland was converted into a marina capable of berthing 500 vessels. Hartlepool Marina is home to a wide variety of pleasure and working craft, with passage to and from the sea through a lock.[67]
Hartlepool also has a permanentRNLIlifeboat station.
Hartlepool has five secondary schools:[68]
The town had planned to receive funding from central government to improve school buildings and facilities as a part of theBuilding Schools for the Future programme, but this was cancelled because ofgovernment spending cuts.[69]
Hartlepool College of Further Education is an educational establishment located in the centre of the town, and existed in various forms for over a century. Its former 1960s campus was replaced by a £52million custom-designed building, it was approved in principle in July 2008, opened in September 2011.[70]
Hartlepool also hasHartlepool Sixth Form College. It was a former grammar and comprehensive school, the college provides a number of AS and A2 Level student courses. TheEnglish Martyrs School and Sixth Form College also offers AS, A2 and other BTEC qualification to 16- to 18-year-olds from Hartlepool and beyond.
A campus ofThe Northern School of Art is a specialistart and design college andhigher education, located adjacent to the art gallery on Church Square. The college has a further site in Middlesbrough that facilitatesfurther education.
Situated in the New Armoury Centre, Easington Road are the following units.
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They are several Church of England and Roman Catholic churches in the town. St Hilda's Church is a notable church of the town, it was built onHartlepool Abbey and sits upon a high point of the Headland. The churches of the Church of England's St Paul and Roman Catholic's St Joseph are next to each other on St Paul's Road.Nasir Mosque on Brougham Terrace is the solepurpose-built mosque in the town.
| Church | Churches belong to | Churches |
|---|---|---|
| Church of England | Deanery of Hartlepool Archdeaconry of Auckland Diocese of Durham Province of York[71] | Christ Church (deconsecrated) Holy Trinity St Aidan St Columba St Hilda St Luke St Oswald St Paul |
| Roman Catholic | Holy Family parish Hilda partnership Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Archdiocese of Liverpool[72] | St Cuthbert St John Vianney St Joseph St Patrick St Thomas More St Mary |
Hartlepool United is the town's professional football club and they play atVictoria Park. The club's most notable moment was in 2005 when, with 8 minutes left in the2005 Football League One play-off final, the team conceded a penalty, allowingSheffield Wednesday to equalise and eventually beat Hartlepool to a place in theChampionship. The club currently play in theNational League.[73]
Pools are affiliated with a women's team calledHartlepool United FC Women. They were formed in 2015 and currently play in theNorth East Regional Women's Football League.
Supporters of Hartlepool United bear the nickname ofMonkey Hangers. This is based upon a legend that during the Napoleonic wars a monkey, which had been a ship's mascot, was taken for a French spy and hanged. Hartlepool has also produced football presenterJeff Stelling, who has a renowned partnership withChris Kamara who was born in nearbyMiddlesbrough.Jeff Stelling is a keen supporter of Hartlepool and often refers to them when presentingSky Sports News. It is also the birthplace and childhood home ofPete Donaldson, one of the co-hosts of the Football Ramblepodcast as well as co-host of theAbroad in Japan podcast, and a prominent radio DJ.
The town also has a semi-professional football club calledFC Hartlepool who play inNorthern League Division Two.[74]
Hartlepool is something of an anomaly in England having historically maintained a disproportionate number of clubs in a town of only c.90,000 inhabitants. These include(d)West Hartlepool,Hartlepool Rovers, Hartlepool Athletic RFC, Hartlepool Boys Brigade Old Boys RFC (BBOB), Seaton Carew RUFC (formerly Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys), West Hartlepool Technical Day School Old Boys RUFC (TDSOB or Tech) and Hartlepool Old Boys' RFC (Hartlepool). Starting in 1904 clubs within eight miles (thirteen kilometres) of the headland were eligible to compete for the Pyman Cup which has been contested regularly since and that the Hartlepool & District Union continue to organise.[75]
Perhaps the best known club outside the town isWest Hartlepool R.F.C. who in 1992 achieved promotion to what is now thePremiership competing in 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. This success came at a price as soon after West was then hit by bankruptcy and controversially sold their Brierton Lane stadium and pitch to former sponsor Yuills Homes. There then followed a succession of relegations before the club stabilised in the Durham/Northumberland leagues. West and Rovers continue to play one another in a popular Boxing Day fixture which traditionally draws a large crowd.
Hartlepool Rovers, formed in 1879, who played at the Old Friarage in the Headland area of Hartlepool before moving to West View Road. In the 1890s Rovers supplied numerous county, divisional and international players. The club itself hosted many high-profile matches including the inauguralBarbarians F.C. match in 1890, theNew Zealand Maoris in 1888 and the legendaryAll Blacks who played against a combined Hartlepool Club team in 1905. In the 1911–12 season, Hartlepool Rovers broke the world record for the number of points scored in a season racking up 860 points including 122 tries, 87 conversions, five penalties and eleven drop goals.
Although they ceased competing in the RFU leagues in 2008–09, West Hartlepool TDSOB (Tech) continues to support town and County rugby with several of the town's other clubs having played at Grayfields when their own pitches were unavailable. Grayfields has also hosted a number of Durham County cup finals as well as County Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 age group games.
Hartlepool Cricket Club play at Park Drive.[76]
Hartlepool Caledonians & Billingham Hockey Club is afield hockey club that competes in theYorkshire and North East Hockey League.[77][78]
At the2012 Summer Olympics, 21-year-oldSavannah Marshall, who attendedEnglish Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the Women's boxing tournament of the 2012 Olympic Games. She was defeated 12–6 byMarina Volnova ofKazakhstan in her opening, quarter-final bout.Savannah Marshall is now a professional boxer, currently unbeaten as a pro and on 31 October 2020 in her 9th professional fight Marshall became the WBO female middleweight champion with a TKO victory over opponentHannah Rankin atWembley Arena.[citation needed]
In August 2012Jemma Lowe, a British record holder who attendedHigh Tunstall College of Science in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the 2012 Olympic Games. She finished sixth in the 200-metre butterfly final with a time of 58.06 seconds. She was also a member of the eighth-place British team in the400mMedley relay.
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Hartlepool is known for allegedly executing a monkey during the Napoleonic Wars.[79] According to legend, fishermen from Hartlepool watched a French warship founder off the coast, and the only survivor was a monkey, which was dressed in French military uniform, presumably to amuse the officers on the ship. The fishermen assumed that this must be what Frenchmen looked like and, after a brief trial, summarily executed the monkey.
Historians have pointed to the prior existence of a Scottishfolk song called "And the Boddamers hung the Monkey-O". It describes how a monkey survived a shipwreck off the village ofBoddam nearPeterhead inAberdeenshire. Because the villagers could only claim salvage rights if there were no survivors from the wreck, they allegedly hanged the monkey. There is also an English folk song detailing the later event called, appropriately enough, "The Hartlepool Monkey". In the English version the monkey is hanged as a French spy.
"Monkey hanger" and Chimp Choker are common terms of (semi-friendly) abuse aimed at "Poolies", often from footballing rivalsDarlington. The mascot ofHartlepool United F.C. isH'Angus the monkey. The man in the monkey costume,Stuart Drummond, stood for the post of mayor in 2002 as H'angus the monkey, and campaigned on a platform which included free bananas for schoolchildren. To widespread surprise, he won, becoming the firstdirectly elected mayor of Hartlepool, winning 7,400 votes with a 52% share of the vote and a turnout of 30%. He was re-elected by a landslide in 2005, winning 16,912 on a turnout of 51% – 10,000 votes more than his nearest rival, the Labour Party candidate.
The monkey legend is also linked with two of the town's sports clubs,Hartlepool Rovers RFC, which uses the hanging monkey as the club logo. Hartlepool (Old Boys) RFC use a hanging monkey kicking a rugby ball as their tie crest.
Hartlepool istwinned with:
Hartlepool has anoceanic climate typical of Great Britain. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb"(Marine West Coast Climate).[105]
| Climate data for Hartlepool | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6 (43) | 7 (44) | 9 (48) | 11 (52) | 14 (58) | 17 (63) | 20 (68) | 19 (67) | 17 (62) | 13 (55) | 9 (48) | 7 (45) | 12 (54) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1 (34) | 1 (34) | 2 (36) | 3 (37) | 6 (43) | 8 (46) | 11 (52) | 11 (52) | 9 (48) | 6 (43) | 3 (37) | 2 (36) | 6 (42) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 56 (2.21) | 39 (1.53) | 51 (2.01) | 52 (2.05) | 50 (1.95) | 55 (2.16) | 44 (1.75) | 61 (2.41) | 57 (2.26) | 57 (2.24) | 61 (2.42) | 59 (2.33) | 643 (25.32) |
| Source:[106] | |||||||||||||
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Borough of Hartlepool.
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