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Heruteu - Hartlepool
The name of Hartlepool, according to the author Sir Cuthbert Sharp, comes from origins unknown. But in the time of Bede, the old town on the peninsula, was called Heruteu - the island of the stag. By mediaeval times, the town was known as Hertepol - the pool of the hart or, hart in the pool - becoming Hart-le-Pool.
To see more photographs of old Hartlepool, click on the images below to see them in a larger size.
St. Mary's Church in Durham Street, Hartlepool. The gates at the front of this church are made to depict a biblical scene of St Bernadette kneeling before St. Mary. A local company Heerema donated the gates, and fence, a few years ago. The gates, at the side of the church, also have images built into them of boats relating to the fishing heritage of the area.
The former St. Andrew's Church in York Place, near the Pilot's Pier, underwent a huge renovation programme during 2011 and is to open soon as a bar, café and restaurant.
The lighthouse, with the Sebastopol Cannon to the right, is situated close to the Heugh Battery.
The Heugh Lighthouse as it was in the 1900's. You can now view images from Hartlepool’s history thanks to an exciting new project. Hartlepool Council’s Cultural Services Section is adding photographs from the town’s collection to photosharing website Flickr where they can be seen and downloaded free for private use.
Over 170 photographs have been placed there so far and more are being added each week. They cover the 19th and 20th centuries and show historic events as well as views of the town and general aspects of daily life.
The Monkey Statues can be seen throughout old Hartlepool providing directions, and information, relating to certain historical areas and places of general interest.
Two views of Sandwell Gate
The Battery Rocks with the tide coming in - photographed in black and white.
Beaconsfield Street in 1963. Happy memories for this youngster, Martin Routledge, sitting on the wall outside number 22. He lived at number 20 at the time before moving away from Hartlepool to Sunderland. As a child he remembers a fire at a local cinema. Research suggests it might have been the Queens in Lumley Street that was destroyed sometime between 1966 and 1967.
Hartlepool Public Library on Northgate was, at one time, earmarked for demolition until the local people moved in and opposed it - quite right, too!
The Borough Hall and the recently developed Town Square in Hartlepool. The Borough Hall was built in 1866.
You can read more information about this cross, and a few historical facts about the building, in the main body of this page.
The Celtic Cross - now you see it, now you don't! This beautifully carved cross, by Carl Paylor, was demolished twice within two weeks by vandals in March, 2008. You can enjoy it here as it used to be!
The cross has since been replaced and now laying flat.
The steps are from the original pilgrim's cross which once stood on the route from Lindisfarne (Holy Island) to Hartlepool.
Carved in stone - the sign above St. Helen's Lodge No,.531 in Regent Street.
The ornamental water pump in the High Street is Grade ll Listed and dates to the mid/late 19th Century. At the base there is a carving in stone which reads: "And I am content to stand here alone, With memories of joys that I have once known, Fret not, dear Hilda, for we have shared, The joy and the problems of folk who cared, and slowly built our ancient town, May you and I be never pulled down." James Coyle, June 9th, 1969.
The Heugh Breakwater - also known as the New Pier. In the foreground is what's left of the salt water swimming pool which was totally destroyed in the storm of 1953.
The open air Bathing Pool was opened in 1923 and for many years was the focus for fun and family entertainment during the long summers. A plaque, at the site of the original pool, informs us that in 1953 a fierce storm caused widespread damage and flooding, affecting the entire North East coast of England. The Headland was badly hit and when the storm breached the Heugh Breakwater the bathing pool was damaged beyond repair. However, the outline of the pool can still be seen at low tide as shown on the Heugh Breakwater photograph above. Thanks to James Cianciaruso for the use of his drawing.
The pool as it was in the early 50's. Thanks to the Headland Local History Group for the use of this photograph.
The Elephant Rock once stood near to where the Bandstand used to be. This photograph, from the collection of The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Hartlepool, dates to about 1886.
The demolition of Throston Bridge in July, 1985. Photograph courtesy of Ian Malcolmson.
A friend of mine recently found hundreds of postcards in a skip and saved them. He was kind enough to pass six of them on to me as he thought they should be featured on this page. I do believe, however, that credit should go to Alfred Price Photographs (1890-1912) as they were part of his original collection and were once on show in the Abbey Street Tea Rooms in old Hartlepool in September 2002. The photograph above shows the ferry in Hartlepool which was boarded near the Town Wall.
The Friary, Hartlepool - circa 1790
The North Gate - circa 1790
The old Town Wall, Hartlepool
The Victoria Dock in 1908 before the new (1910) Fish Quay.
Ancient Water Gate, Sandwell Chare 1908.
A newspaper article from the Daily Express informing readers of Hartlepool's two new monuments. We're not sure of the date of the cutting but Mr W. Woodward, the Town Clerk referred to in this story, served on the local council in the 1930s.
A poem about Sandwell Gate by unknown author M.K. Thanks to Ian Malcolmson for the two cuttings above which you can see in a larger size by clicking on the images.
Our sea defences are under threat. Be sure to visit the HeArtlepool website for more information. By clicking on the poster above you can see a larger image.
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Old Hartlepool - Heruteu
The statue of Andy Capp, this loveable cartoon character, can be seen outside the Harbour of Refuge Public house in Croft Terrace.
I've taken many photographs of old Hartlepool but not from this angle. On a recent trip out from Hartlepool Marina to the River Tees and back, I took this on the way home. Look closely and you can see three churches - St. Mary's, St. Hilda's and the fomer St. Andrew's in York Place.
The Sebastopol Cannon. I suppose I could subtitle this photograph 'From Russia with Love' as the plaque in old Hartlepool reads: A Trophy from Sebastopol - This cannon was captured from the Russian Army at the battle of Sebastopol during the Crimean War (1854-56). In October 1857, the then Secretary of State, Lord Panmure, offered the cannon to Hartlepool Borough Council who gratefully accepted it. The cannon was transported from London on the steam ship 'Margaret' at a total cost of £2.19s.3d., and, after a year's delay, arrived at Hartlepool in September, 1858.
The Abbey Church of St Hilda taken from Croft Gardens. If you'd like to see an impressive 3-D image of St. Hilda's Church by Digital Surveys, be sure to see their video on YouTube.
Beautiful flowers in Croft Gardens. In the background is the Borough Hall and, to the right, another Hartlepool landmark - Verrill's chippie!
A stone statue of a fisherman in Croft Gardens with St. Hilda's Church in the background.
St Hilda's Church taken from Church Walk.
St. Hilda's Church, Sandwell Gate, Croft Gardens and the Town Wall. This was taken from the deck of Hartlepool's own training vessel "Adventure" during the Tall Ships' Races 2010.
Hartlepool resident Ian Malcolmson sent us these photographs of St. Hilda's Church and the surrounding area then and now. The old photograph, from the 1930s we suggest, shows the houses in Middlegate as they used to be with Prissick Street School to the rear of the church. If you click on the above photograph it will open to a larger image.
A view from Durham Street showing St. Hilda's Church, on the left, and St. Mary's Church. Research shows that old Hartlepool, over the years, had no less than twelve churches. They were Baptist Chapel 1852; Holy Trinity 1852 to the late 50's or early 60's; St. Andrews; St. Hilda's; St. Mary's; Salvation Army; St. Helens; St. John's Presbyterian Chapel 1830; Independent Chapel 1843; Primative Methodist 1850; United Presbyterian 1840 and the Wesleyan Methodist 1839.
A 55 ton Chieftain Tank is one of the many exhibits on show at the Heugh Battery Museum in Hartlepool. The museum is open Thursday to Sunday between 1000 and 1600.
The picturesque Town Wall looking towards the Pilot's Pier
A colourful view of the Town Wall taken from the Banjo Pier. The building on the left, known today as the old Gospel Hall, used to be the Seamens' Mission. The grey building was once used by the Hartlepool Port Authority and the building on the right was named after the Chalybeate Spring. Thanks to Ian Malcolmson for the information on these properties.
Many of the houses in Regent Street and Regent Square are Grade II Listed buildings. You can see more photographs of this area of Hartlepool, and read detailed comprehensive information, on the British Listed Buildings website under the Hartlepool, County Durham section. A link to the site can be found in the left hand navigation pane.
This photograph shows a red and white coloured house in Regent Street with an arch leading to a back lane. The black and light green coloured houses are in Regent Square and are all Grade II listed buildings.
St. Helen's Masonic Lodge in Regent Street. We understand this was previously a chapel. However, we do know, according to Sir Cuthbert Sharp's book "A History of Hartlepool" that the St. Helen's Masonic Lodge No.774 of Hartlepool was first constituted in the town on Friday, September 11th, 1846. It held its meetings periodically at the King's Head Hotel. The lodge photographed above is No. 531. You can see a larger image of the sign in the left hand column.
Redheugh Gardens and the War Memorial.
The Pilot's Pier taken from the Banjo Pier in, what used to be, Middleton.
Looking towards old Hartlepool from the New Pier (Heugh Breakwater). The photograph was inspired after I had looked at the cover of a book titled "The Isle of St Hild" - which includes a collection of historical and community portraits. The book was compiled, co-written and arranged by 'writer in residence' Bob Beagrie.
Hartlepool Public Library. This building, on Northgate in old Hartlepool, was presented for a Public Library by Andrew Carnegie, Esq LLD. The foundation stone was laid by Alderman H.H Murray on May 27th, 1903. In later years it was used as a Maritime Museum and now has reverted to council offices. One time it was earmarked for demolition until the people of Hartlepool moved in an opposed it. You can see other photographs of the library and some beautifully crafted stonework, dated 1904, in the left hand column.
The old Friarage Manor House, which was once part of St. Hilda's Hospital in Hartlepool and built in 1605, has stood empty for many years. It is in a bad state of repair and many believe this Grade II listed building should be totally restored.
As mentioned, this building was part of St. Hilda's Hospital and, we believe, the upper part was the Childrens' ENT Ward. Looking at the rear of the roof, on both of these photographs, there appears to be a chimney. In the 1960's the only ward that had an open fire was the Male Geriatric Ward. Of course, much of this building could not be seen at this time as the rest of the hospital had been built around it. The only thing visible from the inside of the hospital was the large cross at the top - which you can see in greater detail by clicking on the small photograph in the left hand hand column. Also remembered, in the sluice of the Childrens' ENT Ward, was a stained glass window.
The Morison Hall - once a grand old building that was used by the Boys' Brigade for their meetings and band practice and also for functions and socials. As you can see, it's in a sorry state of repair and is presently up for sale.
The old Throston Engine House, in Cemetery Road, Hartlepool dates back to 1830. The hauling engine - which was steam powered - used to draw coal wagons up a railway incline to top of the former coal staithes. A dispute between railway companies over use of these coal-shipping facilities was major factor leading to founding of new town of West Hartlepool in 1840's. The Throston Engine House is one of many Grade II listed buildings in old Hartlepool.
The railway wagons used to roll across the old Throston Bridge which has been long demolished. Thanks to the Headland Local History Group for the use of the above photograph.
The demolition of Throston Bridge, July 1985. You can see another image in the left hand column.
The Comet Cinema which stood on the corner of Thorpe Street and Northgate was never finished. It never opened, either, because of the Second World War. It was demolished in the 80s about the same time as Throston Bridge came down. Photograph courtesy of Ian Malcolmson.
One of two swing bridges that were in operation around Hartlepool Docks many years ago. This one was near the North Basin, on Central Road, and the other on lower Middleton Road, near Navigation Point, close to the entrance of the Marina. Photograph courtesy of Alan Grange.
A series of dramatic waves taken at the New Pier (Heugh Breakwater) in old Hartlepool on October 24th, 2010. Photographs © Stan Laundon.
Them and us: Even after the amalgamation of the two towns - Hartlepool and West Hartlepool in 1967 - there's still the 'them and us' attitude from some of the older folk. The people in West will still refer to 'those folks over there' as Monkey Hangers and many in old Hartlepool, the original settlement, will call those from the new town West Dockers. Yes, there is still 'friendly banter' between West and old Hartlepool but why is it, many ask, that West Hartlepool stole the monkey and have a statue of it in the marina? A friend of mine who lives on the Headland (that's what they call it these days to the annoyance of many) told me this story: "Belonging to the old side I am extra proud that there is a tradition that when the marina was being created a time capsule was discovered and inside was this piece of poetry":
"They said we hung a monkey – it was only said in jest,
In truth the darn thing did escape and started a town called West”
The black and white photographs on this page came from private collections and must not be copied, or used, without prior written permission.
Copyright © Stan Laundon.com
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