Hartlepool

A little bit of history.

The origins of Hartlepool can be traced back to the 7^th century AD when an Abbey was founded by St Aidan on the headland overlooking the sea. The monastery became famous under St Hilda, who served as its abbess from AD 649 to AD 657. By the early 19^th century, Hartlepool was still a small town with less than 1000 people. A rapid expansion occurred with the industrial revolution when a solicitor from Stockton-on Tees, Ralph Ward Jackson, developed a harbour at West Hartlepool for the export of coal. The area became heavily industrialized with ironworks and shipbuilding featuring strongly. Many of Hartlepool’s pubs were built around this time.

The Shades Hotel on Church Street in 1988. This old pub, built in the mid-19^th century and refaced at the start of the 20^th century, has several Art Nouveau features and was Grade II listed in 1985.

The Shades Hotel, Hartlepool, in 1988

Note the wonderfully delicate female figures on the window surround

 

The Volunteer Arms on Church Street in1988

The Stranton pub and adjoining Camerons Brewery in 1988

John William Cameron took over an existing brewery in 1865. In 1892, the present Lion brewery was built, incorporating the most up-to-date equipment. An artesian well has supplied water to the brewery for over 160 years. The Stranton was converted to a visitors’ centre in 2004.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, I had a holiday job at Camerons Brewery. This was a Victorian brewery with equipment from that era, so the work was quite physical and included shovelling spent grain from the mash tub and cleaning the inside of the coppers. Both jobs required you to strip down to jeans and wellies and enter the still steamy vessel by descending a pair of ladders. A large wooden shovel was used to remove the spent grain, while the spent hops were blasted from the walls of the copper using a water hose. The next stage was to clean any remaining hops from the heating pipes with a small piece of Scotchbrite. Much of the transport of barley and hops was also done by hand, as the design of the building did not permit the use of mechanized transport. Although the work could be hard, it was never boring. However, the best job was in the afternoon. The directors met each day at 4 o’clock precisely, and one lucky employee was required to deliver two large jugs of Camerons Strongarm to the board room. The perk of the job was that you were allowed a swift half pint when you filled the jugs.  Over time, the half pint slowly increased to two or three pints, with a subsequent delay in delivery to the directors. This was eventually noticed and an improvement in my performance was ordered!

Major changes were made in 1970. Much of the Victorian brass and copper fixtures had been replaced by electronically-operated, fully automatic, stainless steel brewing equipment. This modernization was not universally welcomed, however, for although the job had become physically easier, it was extremely tedious with much of the day spent washing the new marble floors or cleaning the stainless steel vessels.

The Zetland on Church Street in1988

The New Market on Lynn Street in 1998, looking a little past its best,
but still a Grade II listed building

 

The Harbour of Refuge in April 2012

A bronze statue of Andy Capp, the cartoon creation of Hartlepudlian, Reg Smythe, was unveiled in the old town in June 2007

The characters, Andy and his wife Flo, were based on Smythe's own parents.

Apart from success in the UK, Andy Capp became popular internationally in over
30 countries and 700 newspapers.

The Cosmopolitan in Old Hartlepool in April 2012

The Ship in Old Hartlepool in April 2012

The Ship showing a lamp advertising the now demolished Vaux brewery

The Fisherman’s Arms in Old Hartlepool in April 2012

The Rat Race Alehouse in Hartlepool Railway Station in April 2012. This is now my favourite pub in the town.  They only serve real ale, wine, real cider and perry. In fact, their marketing seems to be based on what they don’t have. This includes fizzy lager, fizzy cider, fizzy beer, alcopops, music and a big screen TV. If, however, you would like to enjoy an excellent pint with good conversation and papers and books to read, then this is the place for you.

The Town Wall in 2012

A little bit of history courtesy of Wikipedia and some local history websites.

After the Norman conquest of 1066, the de Brus family gained ownership of the lands surrounding Hartlepool. William the Conqueror built Durham Castle and brought stability to the area, and the surrounding villages were first mentioned in records in 1153 when Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale, became Lord of Hartness.

By the time of the Middle Ages, Hartlepool had grown into a small, but important, market town with the improved harbour which served as the official port of the County palatine of Durham.

The main trade was fishing, making Hartlepool one of the major ports in the east of the UK. After two hundred years, the de Brus connection with Hartlepool was severed when ‘Robert the Bruce', the legendary Scottish hero and last Lord of Hartness, was crowned King of Scotland, in 1306. Angered by this, King Edward I confiscated his title to Hartlepool.

The Sandgate in 2012

The Town Wall which guards the Headland (Old Hartlepool) was originally built in the 14th century as a defence against the raiding Scots and some parts of the wall, including the historic Sandgate, dates from this period.