Celebrating the success of Elephant Rock

They gathered at fully-restored Elephant Rock on the Headland to display the high-profile regional and national engineering and design awards won over recent months.

These include the national Value Award scooped at the Constructing Excellence Awards 2022 and the Project of the Year (Under £1 million) and Going the Extra Mile accolades won at the Civil Engineers Contractors Association North East Awards. Other awards include the Constructing Excellence North East Value Award and the Institution of Civil Engineers Project of the Year (under £1 million).

Councillors, council officers and representatives of Seymour Civil Engineering with the awards won by Elephant Rock

Elephant Rock was designed and project managed by Hartlepool Borough Council’s own in-house teams in collaboration with the Council’s culture department with work on the ground being carried out by Hartlepool-based Seymour Civil Engineering as Principal Contractor.

Elephant Rock was created by the restoration of a previous site which was built in the late 1800s to provide a place for civic, community and cultural events. It incorporated a bandstand and also served as a viewing platform for the historic Elephant Rock which stood a short distance offshore. This was an elephant-shaped limestone rock formed by a combination of coastal erosion and quarrying, much of which collapsed into the sea following a storm in 1891.

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of the Council, said: “To win such an impressive list of awards is fantastic, and this reflects the high quality of the work carried out by our own Council officers and a local contractor.”

Commenting on the national awards, the Council’s Assistant Director of Place Management Kieran Bostock said: “The competition for these awards was really intense, so it is a fantastic achievement for a project delivered right here in Hartlepool to be recognised and really puts the town on the map. Indeed, the Institution of Civil Engineers recently listed this scheme as part of their top nine projects that endorsed productivity in 2022 alongside schemes in London, Belfast and Hong Kong.”

Adam Harker, Managing Director of Seymour Civil Engineering, added: “We are delighted to have delivered the multi-award winning Elephant Rock scheme which has already proven to be a great entertainment space for the people of Hartlepool and brings to life a much-loved community asset. Winning a prestigious national award really puts Hartlepool on the map and showcases what can be delivered regionally. The collaborative approach between Seymour Civil Engineering and Hartlepool Borough Council during the delivery of the scheme enabled us to offer local employment opportunities, utilise a local supply chain and undertake local STEM events. The sympathetic restoration of this much-loved community venue utilised hard wearing, low maintenance and high quality materials meaning it is safe to use and be enjoyed for many years to come."

Since opening last year, Elephant Rock has hosted a number of events, including the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in June, and an exciting programme for 2023 is currently being developed.