Collections

The ephemera collections include pilot journals, school registers, newspaper cuttings, commemorative pamphlets, council minutes, theatre programmes, commercial brochures and letterheads. The collection also includes maps transferred from the council planning departments and local civil defence records from the Second World War.

A hugely informative collection is that preserved by Robert Wood, a local historian, which contains over 40,000 examples of 19th century and early 20th century ephemera, manuscript material and posters from the Hartlepool printing firm owned by John Procter. The collection reflects the social aspects of life as well as the industry in the town.