Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

Hartlepool

[hahrt-lee-pool, hahrt-l-]

Hartlepool, city (1991 pop. 91,749) and borough, NE England. A city seaport, Hartlepool imports timber, wood pulp, petroleum, and iron ore. Industries include shipbuilding, iron and steel manufacturing, marine engineering, and brewing. Servicing the North Sea petroleum fields has become increasingly important. Hartlepool is also the home of a herring fleet. A convent founded on the site in 640 was famous under St. Hilda (649-657) and was destroyed by the Danes in 800. In the 12th and 13th cent., Hartlepool was the chief port of the palatinate of Durham. The West Hartlepool dock developed in the 19th cent. as a port for coal export. A nearby nuclear power plant was completed in the early 1980s.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Hartlepool

Hartlepool is a North Sea port in North East England. It is within the unitary authority area of the Borough of Hartlepool, for ceremonial purposes part of County Durham.

History

Hartlepool was founded as a village in the 7th century AD, springing up around Hartlepool Abbey, founded in 640 on a headland overlooking a natural harbour. The monastery became famous under St Hilda, who served as its abbess from 649-657, but it fell into decline and was likely destroyed by the Vikings in 800.

The place name derives from Old English *heort-ieg "hart island", referring to stags seen, and pol, "pool". Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this:

649: Heretu, or Hereteu
1017: Herterpol, or Hertelpolle
1182: Hierdepol

Hart is the Old English name for a stag or deer which appears on the towns crest and le pool meant by the sea, people moved here to hunt where there were deer by the sea and eventually settled there.The petrified forest below the sea provides proof that hart (deer) did once live in a forest by the sea.

During the Middle Ages the village grew into an important (though still small) town, gaining a market and walls, and its harbour was improved to serve as the official port of the County palatine of Durham.

The town had medicinal springs, particularly the chalybeate spa near the Westgate. Thomas Gray the famous poet ('Elegy in a Country Churchyard') visited in July 1765 to take the waters, and wrote to his friend Dr Wharton:

'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:

'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.'

Isambard 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.'

Hartlepool's harbour made it a convenient outlet for the coalfields of South Durham and in 1835 a railway was built to enable South Durham coal to be exported. A rival railway was built in 1847 and docks were established at its terminus, around which a new town, West Hartlepool, was founded by Ralph Ward Jackson.

The two communities grew very rapidly, from a population of only a thousand at the start of the 19th century to 64,000 in 1891. The modern town represents a joining together of "Old Hartlepool", locally known as the "headland", and West Hartlepool. What was West Hartlepool became the larger town and the two were formally joined in 1967. Today the term "West Hartlepool" is rarely heard outside the context of sport, but the town's only premier Rugby Union team still proudly retain the name (See Sports below)

The name of the town's professional football club reflected the two 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 renaming itself Hartlepool United in the 1970s. Many fans of the club still refer to the team as "Pools".

The area became heavily industrialised with an ironworks (established 1838) and shipyards in the docks (established in the 1870s). By 1913, no fewer than 43 ship-owning companies were located in the town, with responsibility for 236 ships. This made it a key target for Germany in the First World War. One of the first German offensives against Britain was the Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on the morning of 16 December 1914, when units of the Imperial German Navy bombarded Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough. Hartlepool was hit with a total of 1150 shells, killing 117 people.

Two coastal defence batteries at Hartlepool returned fire, firing 143 shells, damaging three German ships: SMS Seydlitz, SMS Moltke and SMS Blücher. 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. As a result of this bombardment, the first military casualty on British soil since the English Civil War fell, Private Theophilus Jones of the 18th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. This event is commemorated by a plaque at the spot on the Headland, and a living history group, the Hartlepool Military Heritage Memorial Society, who portray men of that unit for educational and memorial purposes.

An attempt by the German High Command to repeat the attack a month later led to the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915 at which the Blücher was sunk. During World War II, RAF Greatham (also known as RAF West Hartlepool) was located on the current South British Steel Works.

Hartlepool suffered badly in the Great Depression of the 1930s and suffered high unemployment until the start of the Second World War, during which its shipbuilding and steel-making industries enjoyed a renaissance. Most of its output for the war effort were "Empire Ships". German bombers raided the town 43 times. After the war, both industries went into a severe decline. "Blanchland", the last ship to be constructed in Hartlepool, left the slips in 1961. There was a boost to the retail sector in 1968 when Middleton Grange Shopping Centre was opened by Princess Anne, with over 130 new shops including Marks & Spencer and Woolworths.

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. By the 1980s the area was again severely affected by unemployment. A series of major investment projects in the 1990s revived the town centre with a new marina, rehabilitation of derelict land, the indoor conversion to modernise Middleton Grange Shopping Centre from the 1960s brutalist architecture, the Historic Quay regeneration, and the construction of much new housing, which has led to the town becoming improbably chic in recent years.

Hartlepool nuclear power station is an advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) type nuclear power plant opened near Hartlepool in the 1980s.

Governance

The Hartlepool constituency was represented in the House of Commons from 1992 until summer 2004 by Labour MP, Peter Mandelson.

Mr Mandelson resigned to take up a role in the European Commission. The by-election on September 30 was won by Labour's Iain Wright with a much-reduced majority following an 18% swing to the Liberal Democrats. He retained the seat with a greatly increased majority in the 2005 UK general election.

Geography

Nearby towns and cities

Billingham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Middlesbrough, Durham, Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Whitby, York.

Local Areas / Villages

Education

Hartlepool has six Secondary schools, with an expected closure of one due to decreasing student numbers. The town has a diverse selection with both Catholic and Church of England schools. The town plans to receive funding from central government to improve school buildings and facilties, as a part of the Building Schools for the Future Program.

Hartlepool College of Further Education is an educational establishment in the town of Hartlepool, Teesside, UK. Its main campus is located in the very centre of the town at the hub of all major road routes to the surrounding area, and is within a few minutes walk of Hartlepool Railway Station.

The College has been established for well over a century in various forms, but the current campus was built in the 1960s alongside the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, on formerly-residential land that was redeveloped after heavy damage during World War Two. This building is set to be replaced with a new £62million custom-designed building. The new campus was approved in principle July 2008, and is set to be completed in 2011.

A campus of Cleveland College of Art & Design, the only remaining specialist art and design college in the North East in either of the Further or Higher Education sectors, is also based in Hartlepool, alongside the Art Gallery in Church Square. The College has two further sites, both in nearby Middlesbrough.

Economy

Tourism

History

St. Hilda's Church
Hartlepool Abbey
Camerons Brewery
Town Wall & Cannon
Museum of Hartlepool
The Headland
West Hartlepool War Memorial

Maritime

Historic Quay
Hartlepool's Maritime Experience
PS Wingfield Castle
Hartlepool Marina
Navigation Point
Seaton Carew Beach
HMS Trincomalee
Hartlepool Sea Cadets Hartlepool Sea Cadets

Entertainment and Shopping

VUE Cinema
Mecca Bingo
Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre
Borough Hall
Camerons Brewery - Visitors Centre
Church Street
Marina
Middleton Grange Shopping Centre
Navigation Point
UK Super Bowl
Mill House Leisure Centre

Leisure

Fishing
Golf
Hartlepool United FC
Quads
Mill House Leisure Centre
Ward Jackson Park
Rossmere Park
Seaton Carew
The Headland
Summerhill
Internet Cafes
Heugh Battery
Palmerston Forts, North East England
Hartlepool Submerged Forest

Restaurants and clubs

Bistro - Farrars Restaurant
Bistro - Gray's Bistro, at Hartlepool College of Further Education
Chinese - The Lotus Garden, Mandarin Palace, The Chinese Buffet King, CHINA DELIGHT
English - The Marine Hotel, Brewers Fayre,The Tall Ships, The Merry-Go-Round, The White House, The Aldi Arms
Seafood - Ocean, Mariner's Restaurant
Indian - Cafe India, Indian Cottage, Spices, Poppadoms, Golden Palace and Dilshad
Thai - Thai Harbour, Thai Pan
Italian - Marco Polo, Joe Rigatoni's, Lungomare, Tabarrini's
Mediterranean - Krimo's, Portofino Bistro Pizzeria, Al Syros
Spanish Tapas - Casa del Mar
Night Clubs - Bar Paris, Yates, Lighthouse, Asters, Time 'n' Tide, Jax, Nexus, Fever, Bar 1, Escobar, The Gemini, Kube
Cafe Bar - North Star
Pubs and Bars - Lloyds Bar, The King John's Tavern, The Causeway, The Blacksmith Arms, The Smallcrafts, Idols, The Royal Back, The Devon
Coffee Bar - Coffee Rappor Bar
Japanese - Fujiyama
American - Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway

Transport

Road

Hartlepool is served by two primary routes which are the A179 road and the A689 road, both linking the town to the A19 road. The A179 road is the main road to the north west which leads to the A19 road, Durham and Tyneside. The A689 road is the main road to the south west towards the A19 & Billingham, Stockton, Middlesbrough and York. The A178 road leads south to Seaton Carew, Graythorpe, Seal Sands, Port Clarence andMiddlesbrough via the Transporter bridge. The A1086 road leads north to Crimdon, Blackhall, Horden and Easington.

Rail

Hartlepool is served by Hartlepool railway station which is on the Durham Coast Line with hourly services to Newcastle and Middlesbrough which are provided by Northern Rail. There is a new service to London from Sunderland provided by Grand Central that uses former InterCity 125mph trains. This is the first time in 15 years that Hartlepool has had a direct link to London by train.Seaton Carew railway station is also located on Seaton Lane

Bus

Hartlepool has services provided by Stagecoach Group around the town and to Billingham, Stockton and Middlesbrough. Other services are provided by Arriva and Go North East to Peterlee, Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle.

Sea

Hartlepool has been a major seaport virtually since it was founded, and has throughout its entire history maintained a proud 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 of West Hartlepool. These docks are still in use today and still capable of handling vessels of virtually all shapes and sizes.

However, the capacity of the docks is now a fraction of what it once was, as after years of industrial downturn, a large portion of the former dockland was converted into a Superior 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 being determined by a lock, and visitors are always welcome to lay over and enjoy the hospitality of the town.

Hartlepool also has a permanent RNLI lifeboat station.

Sport

Hartlepool United is the town's professional football club and they play at Victoria Park, Hartlepool. They have won promotion to League One for the 2007–08 season. The supporters of the club bear the nickname of Monkey Hangers. This is based upon legend that during the Napoleonic wars a ship's mascot was hanged for being a French spy.

West Hartlepool R.F.C. are more commonly known as "West" and in the 2007 - 2008 season they won the North 2 East league title and were promoted to North 1 (which is the 4 tier of the national league structure). In the mid-1990s, West were the pride of North East rugby union and played in what is now the Guinness Premiership. West were then hit by bankruptcy and they controversially sold their Brierton Lane stadium. There then followed a succession of relegations when professional players deserted the club, leaving West to pay off their debts which was a consequence of the clubs ambitious pursuit of professionalism.

Tall Ships' Races

On 28 June 2006, Hartlepool celebrated after winning its bid to host The Tall Ships' Races The town will welcome up to 125 tall ships in 2010, after being chosen by race organiser Sail Training International to be the finishing point for the race. Hartlepool will greet the ships, which will have sailed from Kristiansand in Norway on the second and final leg of the race.

Hartlepool already has good links with tall ships after almost 40 vessels visited Hartlepool in 2005 en route to Newcastle, and Hartlepool Council, PD Ports and Hartlepool Marina teamed up in April this year to submit a bid to host the race.

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond said: "There's a great spirit of partnership in the town and we put together a very strong bid. We knew we had the capability and the passion to be a top class host port and we are delighted that the race organisers felt the same. The event will present a tremendous opportunity to showcase the town."

Allan Henderson, Hartlepool Marina Director, added: "This is fabulous news and a great honour. Hartlepool already has an excellent name in the maritime world, and the skippers and crews of the tall ships which visited us last year were very impressed with the fantastic welcome they received. Hosting the Tall Ships race further reinforces Hartlepool's well deserved reputation as a first rate visitor destination."

Local media

Hartlepool - Hartlepool Local Information site
Hartlepool Mail - local newspaper
BBC Radio Tees - BBC local radio station
Radio Hartlepool - community radio station bidding for Ofcom licence

Monkeys

Hartlepool is famous for allegedly executing a monkey during the Napoleonic Wars.

Historians have also pointed to the prior existence of a Scottish folk song called "And the Boddamers hung the Monkey-O". It describes how a monkey survived a shipwreck off the village of Boddam near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Because the villagers could only claim salvage rights if there were no survivors from the wreck, they allegedly hanged the monkey.

There is also a folk song by Little Billy Fayne about the Hartlepool hanging.

"Monkey hanger" and Chimp Choker are common terms of (semi-friendly) abuse aimed at "Poolies", often from bitter footballing rivals Darlington. The mascot of Hartlepool United F.C. is H'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 first directly-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 another of the town's sports clubs, Hartlepool Rovers RFC, which uses the hanging monkey as the club logo. On tours it would hang a monkey on the posts of the rugby pitch to spread the story.

In June 2005 a large bone was found washed ashore on Hartlepool beach by a local resident, which initially was taken as giving credence to the monkey legend. Analysis revealed the bone to be that of a red deer which had died 6,000 years ago. The bone is now in the collections of Hartlepool Museum Service.