Church Square, Hartlepool - 01429 869706 info@thisishartlepool.co.uk

Hartlepool is a town on the North Sea coast of North East England, located about 7.62 miles (12.26 km) north of Middlesbrough, and 16.98 miles (27.18 km) south of Sunderland. Historically a part of County Durham and later Cleveland, the town is now its own unitary authority: the Borough of Hartlepool, which is inclusive of outlying suburban villages including Seaton Carew, Greatham and Elwick. Ceremonially the town remains a part of County Durham, however has strong cultural and economic links to the Teesside or Tees Valley area, with which it shares a number of provisions including the TS postcode, Cleveland Fire Brigade, and Cleveland Police.

It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from the north was established from the South Durham coal fields to the historic town. An additional link from the south, in 1835, together with a new port, resulted in further expansion, with the establishing of the new town of West Hartlepool. Industrialisation and the establishing of a shipbuilding industry during the later part of the 19th century caused Hartlepool to be a target for the German Navy at the beginning of the First World War. A bombardment of 1150 shells on 16 December 1914 resulted in the death of 117 people. 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 the docks area into a marina have seen a rise in the town's prospects.