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Official opening of £1.6m Town Square

THE new £1.6m Town Square which has transformed the centre of Hartlepool’s Headland will be officially opened on Tuesday 31 October. The ceremony will be performed at 4pm by Margaret Fay, Chairman of regional development agency One North East, who will unveil a commemorative plaque.
The project, which has taken 11 months to complete, has created a formal square in front of the Borough Hall plus a history garden and a new building incorporating a clock tower, public toilets and an information point for visitors. It has been spearheaded by the North Hartlepool Partnership, which is using money from One North East to regenerate the Headland.

The project was designed by urban design firm Ferguson McIlveen and has been built by Seymour Civil Engineering. It has been funded by the North Hartlepool Partnership, the European INTERREG fund, Hartlepool Council and money from One NorthEast via the Tees Valley Partnership. The plans were drawn up following extensive public consultation after previous studies and consultation identified a strong need to create a ‘central heart’ befitting the centre of the Headland.

The imposing Town Square is paved with granite blocks and bordered by a sandstone wall and seating. Set into the centre of this large paved area – which has been designed to accommodate community activities and events – is a sandstone compass point design, with each of the four points featuring the ancient Hartlepool seal.

Steps from the square lead into the history garden – a classical garden layout featuring low hedges, shrub beds and 26 benches in traditional cast iron. It is bordered by a combination of traditional stone walls and cast iron railings incorporating different designs echoing Headland history, including a lighthouse, a boat and a church window.

Another striking feature of the garden is the Time Line – a pathway in which some of the sections of paving are engraved with key dates in Hartlepool’s history, from 640 AD when Hieu became the first abbess of the monastery on the Headland. This will be illuminated by underground lighting during the evenings.
The start of the Time Line is marked by a large stone engraved with images of St Hieu and St Hilda.

Key to the project is the use of high quality materials and designs in keeping with the Headland’s heritage. The area will also be a ‘green oasis’ – the main existing trees have been retained and almost 80 new ones have been added, including leafy sycamores. A total of 450 new shrubs have also been planted, as well as 60,000 crocus bulbs.

There has been strong community involvement in the project. Hartlepool firm Heerema created the decorative metalwork for the new building, Seymour Civil Engineering donated the clock for the tower, the Headland History Group provided information for the Time Line, and Asda donated the piece of stone used to mark the start of the Time Line. Pupils from local schools St Bega’s, St Helen’s and St Hild’s have buried time capsules in the history garden, as has the Partnership itself.

Councillor John Marshall, Chair of the North Hartlepool Partnership, said:
“A few may disagree, but I believe that this new Town Square is a delight. It is a space that I hope will be used to its fullest extent for all sorts of outdoor events over this coming Christmas season and beyond. I would personally like to thank everyone who has contributed to this wonderful space. I would also like to personally thank Heerema Hartlepool for their unending contributions and goodwill to this scheme and many others in this community.”

Margaret Fay, Chairman of One NorthEast, said:
“The extensive improvements, which include the work done on the Town Square, really do this historic area of Hartlepool justice. They have transformed the centre of the Headland, and I’m delighted that One NorthEast, along with the North Hartlepool Partnership, the European Regional Development Fund, Hartlepool Council and the Tees Valley Partnership, has funded and supported them. This area is one of many to benefit from significant investment, and I think it’s fair to say that Hartlepool is now one of the jewels in this region’s crown.”

Email: public.relations@hartlepool.gov.uk