West Hartlepool | |
---|---|
Location within County Durham | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Police | Cleveland |
Fire | Cleveland |
Ambulance | North East |
West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland.
The former town was originally formed in 1848 as an accompanying settlement for nearby railway and docks, which brought and exported coal from the area. The rail network grew, connecting to docks in Leeds and other cities. [1] [2] Further developments in the area led to the 1960s formation of Hartlepool as a town.
The town of West Hartlepool was founded by Ralph Ward Jackson who went on to become managing director of the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway in 1848. [3]
The area known as Newburn Raw, part of the ancient village of Stranton, steadily grew into a centre for shipping and railway transport. [2] [4] The West Hartlepool Harbour and Dock (8 acres (0.032 km2)) opened on 1 June 1847. Five years later, also on 1 June, the Jackson dock (14 acres (0.057 km2)) opened as well as a railway connecting West Hartlepool to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. Massive timber trading with Baltic countries began as timber was needed for pitprops in nearby coal mines. The area's population grew quickly as a result. [2] Eight shipbuilding yards were established. [4] Supporting shipbuilding and repair were: a canvas manufacturing firm, Bastow Brothers and W. Taylor iron foundries, block and mast makers and other related machinery. [5]
Streets were laid out along which shops and brick homes were built. Standard town services followed including paved roads, gas and electricity, sewers, a slaughterhouse, cemetery and more. [4]
Jackson built a large church, Christ Church, from stone excavated from the docks and the parish was consecrated in 1854 by the Bishop of Durham. [4] Swainson Dock opened on 3 June 1856, named after Ward Jackson's father-in-law. In 1878 the William Gray & Company ship yard 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. [2]
West Hartlepool was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Stranton, [6] The municipal borough of West Hartlepool was created in 1887, and, with its headquarters at West Hartlepool Town Hall, [7] on 31 December 1894 West Hartlepool became a separate civil parish, [8] the district was promoted to the status of county borough, outside the control of Durham County Council, in 1902. [9] On 1 April 1967, a county borough, called Hartlepool, was established by amalgamating West Hartlepool with old Hartlepool, [10] [11] the parish was also abolished and merged with Hartlepool. [12] In 1961 the parish had a population of 77,035. [13]
The town's Rugby Union football team was formed in 1881 by men who came to the area to build the railway and dig the docks, and continued until 1908 when the Hartlepool Union's round ball game was in vogue. [14] Until 1968, the football team now known as Hartlepool United was shown in the plural - Hartlepools United - to show its links to both Hartlepool and to West Hartlepool. [15]
Hartlepool is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It 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 87,995, it is the second-largest settlement in County Durham.
County Durham, officially simply Durham (/ˈdʌrəm/), is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north, the North Sea to the east, North Yorkshire to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington.
The history of County Durham.
Seaton Carew is a seaside resort in the Borough of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It gives its name to the Seaton ward, which had an estimated population of 7,194 in 2021. It is deemed part of the Hartlepool built-up area by the Office for National Statistics, but is separated from the main part of the urban area by the Durham Coast Line. The resort is on the North Sea coast and north of the River Tees estuary.
Middleton is an area of Hartlepool, in the Borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It is on the North Sea coast between the centre of Hartlepool and The Headland.
Embleton is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sedgefield, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, in England, as well as the site of a medieval village and manor. It is situated 3 miles (5 km) east of Sedgefield and 4 miles (6 km) west of Hartlepool. In 1961 the parish had a population of 80. The township was historically named "Elmdene", supposedly derived from the site's proximity to a woodland of elm trees which, at an earlier time, flourished in the bordering dene. A single farmstead now occupies the site which lies adjacent to the ruins of a small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Hartlepool is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 18 miles 5 chains (29 km) south-east of Sunderland, serves the port town of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
The Borough of Hartlepool is a local government district with borough status in County Durham, England. Since 1996 Hartlepool Borough Council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Durham County Council. It is named after its largest settlement, Hartlepool, where the council is based. The borough also includes a rural area to the west of the town. The population of the borough at the 2021 census was 92,571, of which over 95% (87,995) lived in the built-up area of Hartlepool itself.
Greatham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The population of the civil parish was taken in the 2011 census was 2,132. Greatham village is located approximately three miles south of Hartlepool town centre.
The Hartlepools 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 the representation of both old Hartlepool and West Hartlepool.
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church building in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear formerly the area's parish church. It was opened in 1719 as the church for the newly created Parish of Sunderland, and served the local community until dwindling numbers forced its closure in 1988. It has since been in the ownership of the Churches Conservation Trust who have preserved the space and converted it into a community cultural hub.
The Clarence Railway was an early railway company that operated in north-east England between 1833 and 1853. The railway was built to take coal from mines in County Durham to ports on the River Tees and was a competitor to the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). It suffered financial difficulty soon after it opened because traffic was low and the S&DR charged a high rate for transporting coal to the Clarence, and the company was managed by the Exchequer Loan Commissioners after July 1834. An extension of the Byers Green branch was opened in 1839 by the independent West Durham Railway to serve collieries in Weardale.
Sadberge was a wapentake in northern England until the 16th century. Named after the village of Sadberge, the wapentake covered land now in County Durham, north of the River Tees as far west as Barnard Castle and as far east as Hartlepool.
Claxton is a civil parish in County Durham, England. It is located to the south west of Hartlepool, and mostly separated from the neighbouring parish of Greatham by the A689 road. It had a population of 25 at the 2001 Census.
West Hartlepool Town Hall is an events venue in Raby Road, Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
Stranton is an area of south Hartlepool in the borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It is a former village and parish.
HM Tug Char, formally the North Eastern Railway tug Stranton, was a ship requisitioned by the Admiralty during the Great War.
Hartlepool Borough Hall is municipal building, which served as the meeting place of the old Hartlepool Borough Council, before it amalgamated with West Hartlepool County Borough Council. It is located on the Headland, Hartlepool in County Durham, England and is a Grade II listed building.