55-604: The Heugh (pronounced: / j ʊ f / ) Gun Battery is located on the Headland at Hartlepool , County Durham , England. The museum bills itself as the only battlefield of World War I in Great Britain . Heugh Battery was one of three erected in 1860 to protect the fast-growing port of Hartlepool. Heugh and Lighthouse Battery were placed close by the lighthouse and armed with four and two 68pr smoothbore guns respectively. The third battery, Fairy Cove mounted three of
110-535: A headland overlooking a natural harbour and the North Sea. The monastery became powerful under St Hilda , who served as its abbess from 649 to 657. The 8th-century Northumbrian chronicler Bede 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 the Angles as Heruteu ( Stag Island ). Archaeological evidence has been found below
165-408: A mosque and looted shops after anti-immigrant misinformation was spread on social media. There is one main tier of local government covering Hartlepool, at unitary authority level: Hartlepool Borough Council . There is a civil parish covering Headland, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; most of the rest of the urban area is an unparished area . The borough council
220-462: A single borough called Hartlepool in 1967. Following the merger, the name of the constituency was changed from The Hartlepools to just Hartlepool in 1974. The modern town centre and main railway station are both at what was West Hartlepool; the old town is now generally known as the Headland . Industrialisation in northern England and the start of a shipbuilding industry in the later part of
275-686: Is a constituent member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority , led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor . The borough council is based at the Civic Centre on Victoria Road. Hartlepool was historically a township in the ancient parish of Hart . Hartlepool was also an ancient borough , having been granted a charter by King John in 1200. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1850. The council built Hartlepool Borough Hall to serve as its headquarters, being completed in 1866. West Hartlepool
330-543: Is governed by a unitary authority borough named after the town . The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area. With an estimated population of 92,600, it is the second-largest settlement in County Durham, after Darlington . The old town was founded in the 7th century, around the monastery of Hartlepool Abbey on a headland. As the village grew into a town in the Middle Ages, its harbour served as
385-510: Is under consultation until August 2022 to organise projects, with the town'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) and Church Street . Northern School of Art also has funds for a TV and film studios. On 2 August 2024 far-right activists and others attacked police, threw stones at
440-572: The Bombardment of Hartlepool on 16 December 1914. During the bombardment (at 08:10), the leading German battle cruiser fired a shell which struck aground less than 100 metres from the battery. This marked the first death in action of a soldier on British soil in World War I. A plaque commemorating the event is found on the coastal walkway just outside the battery. In 1936 the No 1 gun was removed and
495-539: The County Palatine of Durham 's official port. The new town of West Hartlepool was created in 1835 after a new port was built and railway links from the South Durham coal 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 called The Hartlepools . The two towns were formally merged into
550-593: The Hartlepool 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 that Christopher Tennant of Yarm 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,
605-774: The Lighthouse Battery (1855) and the Heugh Battery (1859). Hartlepool in the 18th century became known as a town with medicinal springs, particularly the Chalybeate Spa near the Westgate. The poet Thomas Gray visited the town in July 1765 to "take the waters", and wrote to his friend William Mason: 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
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#1732791659502660-543: The Stockton 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
715-502: The 14-acre (5.7-hectare) Jackson Dock opened on the same day that a railway opened connecting West Hartlepool to Leeds , Manchester and Liverpool . 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,
770-512: The 1930s and endured high unemployment. Second Unemployment decreased during the Second 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 and 49 by West Hartlepool Borough. During
825-605: The 19th century meant it was a target for the Imperial 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
880-494: The Coast Defence / Anti Aircraft role in 1942. The Lighthouse and remaining Heugh emplacement were reworked for turret mounted 6inch Mk 24 guns and an emplacement for a third (No 3) was built a hundred yards to the north though it seems unlikely that a gun was ever mounted here. Heugh Battery was mothballed in 1944 to be reopened in 1947 and shortly after QF 3.7 inch AA guns were introduced. The battery closed in 1956 with
935-636: 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. Between On 4 January 1922, a fire starting in a timber yard left 80 people homeless and caused over £1,000,000 of damage. Hartlepool suffered badly in the Great Depression of
990-684: The Lighthouse Battery integrated into Heugh Battery so that the Lighthouse gun became Heugh No 1. A Barr and Stroud rangefinder was also introduced. In 1939 the Territorial Army was mobilised and the battery was manned by men of the Durham Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery . During the early part of the Second World War new rangefinding and fire control equipment was introduced, paving the way to conversion to
1045-595: The MP between 1992 and 2004, resigned to take up a role in the European Commission . On 13 October 2008, he was created Baron Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool following his appointment as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the British Government. Hartlepool falls within the jurisdiction of Cleveland Fire Brigade and Cleveland Police . Before 1974, it was under
1100-576: The Second World War, RAF Greatham (also known as RAF West Hartlepool) was located on the South British 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. The modern town represents a joining of "Old Hartlepool", locally known as the "Headland", and West Hartlepool . As already mentioned, what
1155-544: 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. 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
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#17327916595021210-634: 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. Hartlepool is represented in the House of Commons by one Member of Parliament. The current MP for the Hartlepool constituency is Jonathan Brash of the Labour Party . He was elected at the 2024 general election with 46.2% of the vote. Members of Parliament for Hartlepool since 1945 have been: Mandelson,
1265-615: The borough was enlarged to take in eight neighbouring parishes, and was transferred to the new county of Cleveland . Cleveland was abolished in 1996 following the Banham Review , which gave unitary authority status to its four districts, including Hartlepool. The borough was restored to County Durham for ceremonial purposes under the Lieutenancies Act 1997 , but as a unitary authority it is independent from Durham County Council. After boundary changes introduced in 2019,
1320-595: The closing of coast defence. The battery is now in the care of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust and is home to a museum and artillery collection. In the 2020s the battery was found to be in need of restoration, so Historic England donated £40,000 to pay for a comprehensive survey of the structure. Hartlepool Hartlepool ( / ˈ h ɑːr t l ɪ p uː l / HART -lih-pool ) is a seaside and port town in County Durham , England. It
1375-539: The closure of its Hartlepool steelworks with the loss of 1500 jobs. 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. 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. Between 1983 and 1999,
1430-534: 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 Battalion Durham Light Infantry , who fell as a result of this bombardment, is sometimes described as the first military casualty on British soil by enemy fire. This event (the death of
1485-469: The county borough of West Hartlepool . The municipal borough of Hartlepool, and the townships of Throston, Stranton , and Seaton Carew . See map on Vision of Britain website. County borough of West Hartlepool and municipal borough of Hartlepool. Boundaries redrawn in 1918, 1950 and 1955 to reflect changes to the boundaries of the two boroughs. Richardson resigned, causing a by-election. General Election 1914–15 : Another General Election
1540-413: The current high tide mark that indicates that an ancient post- glacial forest by the sea existed in the area at the time. The Abbey fell into decline in the early 8th century, and it was probably destroyed during a sea raid by Vikings on the settlement in the 9th century. In March 2000, the archaeological investigation television programme Time Team located the foundations of the lost monastery in
1595-493: The decision was made to propose a new railway to make Hartlepool a coal port, shipping out minerals from the Durham coalfield . It was in this endeavour that 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." But the plan faced local competition from new docks. 25 kilometres (16 mi) to
1650-718: 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 the First World War . One of the first German offensives against Britain was a raid and bombardment by the Imperial German Navy on the morning of 16 December 1914, 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: SMS Seydlitz , SMS Moltke and SMS Blücher . The Hartlepool engagement lasted roughly 50 minutes, and
1705-494: The docks area into a marina saw a rise in the town's prospects. The town also has a seaside resort called Seaton Carew . The place name derives from Old English heort (" hart "), referring to stags seen, and pōl ( pool ), a pool of drinking water which they were known to use. Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this: A Northumbrian settlement developed in the 7th century around an abbey founded in 640 by Saint Aidan (an Irish Christian priest) upon
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1760-501: The first soldiers on British soil) is commemorated by the 1921 Redheugh 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 illustrates four soldiers on one of four cartouches and the plaque, donated by a member of the public, refers to the 'first soldier' but gives no name). A living history group,
1815-630: The grounds of St Hilda's Church. In the early 11th century, the name had evolved into Herterpol . During the Norman Conquest, the De Brus family gained over-lordship of the land surrounding Hartlepool. William the Conqueror subsequently ordered the construction of Durham Castle , and the villages under their rule were mentioned in records in 1153 when Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale became Lord of Hartness . The town's first charter
1870-533: The jurisdiction of the Durham Constabulary and Durham Fire Brigade . Hartlepool has two fire stations: a full-time station at Stranton and a retained station on the Headland. Nearby towns include: Seaham (17 mi or 27 km), Sedgefield (13 mi or 21 km), Billingham (8 mi or 13 km) and Peterlee (8 mi or 13 km). Beyond the far side of the Tees Bay , on
1925-466: The luck to live anywhere in the North East [of England]...I would live near Hartlepool. If I had the luck". There was a boost to the retail sector in 1970 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
1980-528: The north, the Marquis of Londonderry had approved the creation of the new Seaham Harbour (opened 31 July 1831), while to the south the Clarence Railway connected Stockton-on-Tees and Billingham to a new port at Port Clarence (opened 1833). Further south again, in 1831 the Stockton and Darlington Railway had extended into the new port of Middlesbrough . The council agreed the formation of
2035-521: The other side of the River Tees , the distant monument on Eston Nab can be seen on clear days. The Hartlepools (UK Parliament constituency) The Hartlepools / ˈ h ɑːr t l ɪ p uː l z / HART -lih-poolz was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament . The constituency became Hartlepool in 1974. The seat's name reflected
2090-442: The place; there are the finest walks and rocks and caverns. A few weeks later, he wrote in greater detail to James Brown: 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
2145-474: The representation of both old Hartlepool and West Hartlepool . The Hartlepools was enfranchised as a borough constituency by the Reform Act 1867 , being given one MP. It had previously been part of the two-MP county division of South Durham . The constituency was renamed Hartlepool in 1974, following the administrative merger in 1967 of the local authorities covering the borough of Hartlepool and
2200-482: The same weapons and was slightly further to the north at the end of the town moor. The original battery was modified for three 64pr Rifled Muzzle Loading guns in the 1880s and then fell out of use with the introduction of breech loaders on hydropneumatic mounts in 1893. The lighthouse battery was reconstructed for one of these guns, a 6-inch Mk VI and a further two were placed in Cemetery Battery north of
2255-685: 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, the British Steel Corporation announced
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2310-515: 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. Docks near the centre were redeveloped and reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 as a marina. The accompanying National Museum of the Royal Navy opened in 1994, then known as the Hartlepool Historic Quay. A development corporation
2365-576: The town's military defences in expectation of war. In 1315, before they were completed, a Scottish army under Sir James Douglas attacked, captured and looted the town. In the late 15th century, a pier was constructed to assist in the harbour's workload. Hartlepool was once again militarily occupied by a Scottish incursion, this time in alliance with the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War , which after 18 months
2420-589: The town. In 1900 Heugh was completely reworked for two 6-inch Mk VII guns using the standard configuration of two emplacements with underground magazine between. The defences were further modified in 1907 when the Lighthouse gun was replaced with a 6inch Mk VII and the Cemetery Battery closed. Manned by the Territorial Force gunners of the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery , these were the three guns that were to see action in
2475-412: 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 and Board of Trade decided that the town needed new industry, so
2530-481: Was West Hartlepool became the larger town and both were formally unified in 1967. Today the term "West Hartlepool" is rarely heard outside the context of sport, but one of the town's Rugby 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
2585-489: 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. First The area became heavily industrialised with an ironworks (established in 1838) and shipyards in
2640-511: 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 itself Hartlepool 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
2695-406: Was completed in 1889. An events venue and public hall on Raby Road called West Hartlepool Town Hall was subsequently completed in 1897. In 1902 West Hartlepool was elevated to become a county borough , making it independent from Durham County Council . The old Hartlepool Borough Council amalgamated with West Hartlepool Borough Council in 1967 to form a county borough called Hartlepool. In 1974
2750-488: Was laid out on land outside Hartlepool's historic borough boundaries, in the neighbouring parish of Stranton . A body of improvement commissioners was established to administer the new town in 1854. The commissioners were superseded in 1887, when West Hartlepool was also incorporated as a municipal borough. The new borough council built itself a headquarters at the Municipal Buildings on Church Square, which
2805-411: Was mainly sand dunes to the south-west, and established West Hartlepool . Because Jackson was so successful at shipping coal from West Hartlepool through his West 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,
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#17327916595022860-590: Was received before 1185, for which it gained its first mayor, an annual two-week fair and a weekly market. The Norman Conquest affected the settlement's name to form the Middle English Hart-le-pool ("The Pool of the Stags"). By the Middle Ages , Hartlepool was growing into an important (though still small) market town. One of the reasons for its escalating wealth was that its harbour
2915-556: Was relieved by an English Parliamentarian garrison. 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 the Crimean War , two coastal batteries were constructed close together in the town to guard against the threat of seaborne attacks from the Imperial Russian Navy . They were entitled
2970-409: Was scheduled to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been preparing for this election, and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected: General Election 1939–40 A General Election was scheduled to take place before the end of 1940. The parties had been preparing for this election, and by autumn 1939, the following candidates had been selected: *Lupton stood as
3025-466: Was serving as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham . The main industry of the town at this time was fishing, and Hartlepool in this period established itself as one of the primary ports upon England's Eastern coast. In 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland , and became the last Lord of Hartness. Angered, King Edward I confiscated the title to Hartlepool, and began to improve
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