Hartlepool 1946-1997

Like many industrial towns over the last hundred years, Hartlepool has seen some remarkable changes; rapid nineteenth-century growth of a manufacturing base and its associated activities followed by decline in the latter part of the twentieth cenutry and the need to find alternative sources of work and revenue. This collection of over 200 photographs illustrates some of those changes and how they affected the lives of the people both at work and at play.

Perhaps the most notable changes of recent years have taken place in the docks area and to such an extent that anyone who left the area a few years ago would now have difficulty recognising this part of their town. Photographs here show Wm Gray's shipyard, coal exporting and timber importing as well as some of the shipping that used the port.

This collection of photographs also feautres some of the everyday activities of Hartlepool people at work, at school and play. It shows well-known landmarks like the Empire Theatre, various public buildings, public houses and the profusion of shops that once lined Lynn Street.

This volume will stimulate lots of memories for Hartlepool people and provide newcomers and a younger generation with an opportunity to see the town as it used to be only a short time ago.