Editing Hartlepool (section)

{{Short description|Town in County Durham, England}}
{{about|the town|the district|Borough of Hartlepool|the constituency|Hartlepool (UK Parliament constituency)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| official_name            = Hartlepool
| type                     = [[List of towns in England|Town]]
| static_image_name        = {{multiple images|perrow=1/2|total_width=250px
 | image1 = War Memorial and Cliff Terrace, Hartlepool (geograph 5593213).jpg
 | image2 = St Hilda’s Church, The Headland, Hartlepool - geograph.org.uk - 4432012.jpg
 | image3 = Yates's pub - geograph.org.uk - 3226749.jpg
 | image4 = Hartlepool Marina - geograph.org.uk - 2566015.jpg
 | image5 = Hartlepool, Durham, Art Gallery (geograph 5905127).jpg
 }}
| static_image_width       = 
| static_image_caption     = The [[Headland, Hartlepool|Headland]], [[St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool|St Hilda's Church]], Victoria Road, the [[Hartlepool Marina|Marina]] and [[Hartlepool Art Gallery|Christ Church Art Gallery]]
| static_image_alt         = 
| label_position           = left
| static_image_2_name      = WLE reserve 2.svg
| static_image_2_width     = 89
| static_image_2_caption   = A [[Hart (deer)|hart]] (red stag)
| coordinates              = {{coord|54.69|-1.21|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 92600
| population_ref           = 
| parts_type               = Areas of the town
| p1                       = [[Hart Station]]
| p3                       = [[The Headland|Headland]] (parish)
| p4                       = [[Middleton, Hartlepool|Middleton]]
| p5                       = [[Owton]]
| p6                       = [[Rift House]]
| p7                       = [[Seaton Carew]]
| p8                       = [[Stranton]]
| p9                       = [[Throston]]
| unitary_england          = [[Borough of Hartlepool|Hartlepool]]
| lieutenancy_england      = [[County Durham]]
| region                   = North East England
| constituency_westminster = [[Hartlepool (UK Parliament constituency)|Hartlepool]]
| post_town                = HARTLEPOOL
| postcode_district        = TS24–TS26
| postcode_area            = TS
| dial_code                = 01429
| os_grid_reference        = NZ508331
| london_distance          = {{convert|261|mi}}
| population_demonym       = Hartlepudlian
}}
'''Hartlepool''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑː|t|l|ɪ|p|uː|l}} {{respell|HART|lih|pool}}) is a [[seaside resort|seaside]] and [[port town]] in [[County Durham]], England. It is governed by a [[unitary authority]] borough [[Borough of Hartlepool|named after the town]]. The borough is part of the devolved [[Tees Valley]] area with an estimated population of 92,600.<ref name="2021census">{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/dvc2257a/fig1/datadownload.xlsx|title=Figure 1: Explore population characteristics of individual BUAs|access-date=7 August 2021}}</ref>

The [[old town]] was founded in the 7th century, around the monastery of [[Hartlepool Abbey]], on a headland. As the village grew into a town, in the Middle Ages, its harbour served as the [[County Palatine of Durham]]'s official port. The new town of [[West Hartlepool]] was created, in 1835, after a new port was built and railway links from the South Durham [[coal field]]s (to the west) and from Stockton-on-Tees (to the south) were created. A parliamentary constituency covering both the old town and West Hartlepool was created, in 1867, called [[The Hartlepools (UK Parliament constituency)|The Hartlepools]]. The two towns were formally merged into a single [[county borough|borough]] called Hartlepool, in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/results.jsp?xCenter=3302709.40426&yCenter=3141023.18703&scale=63360&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance+Survey+and+Ordnance+Survey+of+Scotland+First+Series|title=Old maps of Britain and Europe from A Vision of Britain Through Time|website=visionofbritain.org.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225035017/http://visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/results.jsp?xCenter=3302709.40426&yCenter=3141023.18703&scale=63360&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance+Survey+and+Ordnance+Survey+of+Scotland+First+Series|archive-date=25 December 2017}}</ref> Following the merger, the name of the constituency was changed from The Hartlepools to just [[Hartlepool (UK Parliament constituency)|Hartlepool]], in 1974. The modern town centre and main [[Hartlepool railway station|railway station]] are both at what was West Hartlepool; the old town is now generally known as the [[Headland, Hartlepool|Headland]].

Industrialisation and the start of a shipbuilding industry in the later part of the 19th century meant it was a target for the [[Imperial German Navy]] at the beginning of the First World War. A bombardment of 1,150 shells on 16 December 1914 resulted in the death of 117 people in the town. 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 the [[Hartlepool Marina]] saw a rise in the town's prospects. The town also has a [[seaside resort]] called [[Seaton Carew]].