Mayor officially opens new Hartlepool history centre

Watched by the Mayoress Councillor Veronica Nicholson, Councillor Brian Cowie cut the ribbon to formally open the centre in Sir William Gray House in Clarence Road.

Councillor Brian Cowie cuts the ribbon, watched by the Mayoress Councillor Veronica Nicholson

Part of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Hubs, the Local and Family History Centre is a must for heritage buffs or those interested in digging back through their Hartlepool family roots.

It houses an extensive selection of local and family history resources which were previously held in storage at Community Hub Central in York Road.

There are maps showing how the town has grown, electoral rolls recording who lived where and an extensive collection of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool parish registers of births, deaths and marriages dating as far back as the 1500s.

There are also thousands of photographs plus Ward Trade Directories – the ‘yellow pages’ of yesteryear – and the Hartlepool Mail on microfilm dating back to 1878.

The centre is free for everyone to use, and people who are Hartlepool Libraries members can also use its computers to access online resources such as Ancestry, Find My Past and the British Newspaper Archive for free too. The friendly, expert staff are on hand to help and advise.

The Mayor and Mayoress learn more about what’s on offer at the centre from centre staff members Verona Martin, Angela Harvey and Karen Jordan

Councillor Cowie said: “I’m delighted to formally open the Local and Family History Centre.

“For many years the Local and Family History Service was in a small area of Community Hub Central, but now that it has its own dedicated space in Sir William Gray House its huge range of historical documents and resources are much easier for people to access.

“It opens the door to a fascinating journey of discovery for Hartlepool residents and, indeed, anyone interested in the town’s history.

“Looking ahead, the centre staff are also looking to expand the service even further to provide workshops and talks to residents, groups and schools.

“Last but not least it also means that residents once again have access to this fantastic building, which has not been open to the public since the closure of the Gray Museum and Art Gallery in 1994.”

The Local and Family History Centre is open Mondays to Thursdays 10am to 3pm - no appointment is necessary.

For more details call 01429 523422 or email infodesk@hartlepool.gov.uk