Historic Hartlepool

St Hilda's Church
St Hilda’s church is quite simply one of the most important churches in the north of England. It stands on the earlier monastic site and dominates Hartlepool’s Headland skyline. It dates from around 1190 but stands upon the remains of a former religious establishment dating back to the 7th century.

Historic Headland Story Trail
Officially opened in summer 2007 the Headland Story Trail is an exciting year-round attraction. The circular walking route around the Historic Headland is punctuated by 17 individual 'information points' or 'story boards' which each tell a different story about the history and development of this fascinating area.

The Princess Royal Lifeboat
The Princess Royal Civil Service No7 arrived in Hartlepool on the 19th October 1939 and was the first of the new R.N.L.I. Lifeboats to be delivered at the start of World War 2.

She has been recently restored to her former glory, thanks to the The Princess Royal Restoration Association.

The Headland Carnival
Run entirely by volunteers from the local community, the Headland Carnival Committee bring this annual event together. For over 83years now the Headland Carnival comes alive in the first couple of weeks in August. The Carnival hosts a number of annual competitions such as a children’s treasure dig, nutty-slack race, traditional-fair on the Town Moor, fun sports day and much, much more! The Carnival draws to a close each year with the mighty and impressive Carnival Day Parade.

Hartlepool Headland Local History Group
The Headland History Group was formed during July 1994 by a group of local people with the aim of fostering research and interest in the history of the old Borough.

Through the years, the Group has been involved in the production of various booklets and videos promoting the historic heritage of the town.

The Bombardment
Three German warships attacked the twin towns of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool on the morning of Wednesday 16th December 1914. It was four and a half months after the outbreak of the First World War. The attack lasted just forty minutes, from 8:10a.m. to 8:50a.m., killing more than one hundred people and injuring many others.

The Town Square
The Headland now has an outdoor venue of distinction to be proud of. Officially opened in the spring of 2007 the new Town Square is a fascinating community venue that plays host to a wide range of activities and events. In July the Headland Local History Group organised the Headland Heritage Festival which saw a range of activities take place within the Town Square and the Borough Hall.

The Borough Hall
The Borough Hall and Market Buildings were opened in 1866. At that time the principal offices and Police Station were also housed there.

It was designed by C J Adam of Stockton and is a free adaptation of Italianate style – with red brick facings and Dunhouse stone dressings.

St Mary’s Church
St Mary’s Church was built in 1851 to cater for the influx of dock and railway workers. The church is designed in Transitional Norman or ‘First Point Period’ by Joseph Aloysius Hansom (who designed the Hansom Cab). Weekly collections from the 1,500 parishioners in the area paid for the building of the church. In fact , they themselves helped to build it carrying stone from a nearby quarry.

The North Hartlepool Partnership
The North Hartlepool Partnership was established in 1996 to oversee the delivery of Challenge Funds awarded under the various rounds of the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) programme, with representatives from the Private, Public and Community Sectors.

Ghosts and Legends
Hartlepool has had a long and often violent history, key events from which have contributed to a long list of myths and legends.

There are also many ghost stories. Dare you need know more?

The Monkey Legend
Hartlepool's controversial and intriguing legend of wartime fear, confused identity and primate suspension by the neck.

The Headland Conservation Area
The Headland Conservation area forms the original settlement of Hartlepool, established during the seventh century as a religious centre and later becoming important as a port.

Its unique character derives from its peninsula location and from the Victorian domestic residential architecture.

Spion Kop Cemetery
Spion Kop Cemetery is a species rich dune grassland that provides a constant profusion of floral colour over the summer months. The pink from the thrift combines with the vivid yellow of the birds-foot trefoil in a way that only nature can, to produce a strikingly beautiful display on this cemetery site.