The Haunted History of Hartlepool’s Headland
There have been many ghost sightings along this attractive British Coastline that is home to an ancient and spooky past.
If you take a stroll around Headland, you will notice plaques along the promenade detailing the extensive history of this ancient part of town, and you can even stop for a drink in reportedly one of the most haunted pubs in Hartlepool.
Attack of the Danes
The first, a description of an attack by The Danes in 800 AD, Scandinavian invaders continued to be a problem for Hartlepool in following centuries, as there is record of an attack upon this place by Norwegian pirates further up the coastline.
Heugh Battery Museum
Following the promenade Northbound, walkers will come across a plaque outside of the Heugh Battery Museum.
A 29-year-old Private in the 18th Battalion of the DLI named Pete Jones, left his home on Ashgrove Avenue and made his way to the gun battery. Where he was killed by a shell fired from a German warship.
This marked him in History as the first man to die on British soil during the First World War. Paranormal sightings have included a story of locals allegedly hearing whistling when they are in the area, particularly early in the morning.
St Hilda’s Hospital
Originally built in 1865, it is now a Grade II listed building and has allegedly housed spooky sightings over the years, with reports that a Grey Lady was often seen floating around at night.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel
Reportedly one of the most haunted pubs in the whole of England, a former tenant that resided in the Pub in the 1980’s, Keith Thynne, described the pub to Sunderland Global Media as “incredibly spooky.”
“I would hear banging on the barrels in the cellar, and covers would get pulled off my bed during the night.”
The pubs current resident, Jane Fleming, reported to Teesside Gazette in 2021 “five months ago, one of the bar-staff was locking up alone and heard someone dragging the tables around inside the pub.
“She’s only 19, so she asked her mum to come along because she was frightened,” said Jane.
“They looked all around the pub, and saw nothing, aside from a picture on the floor that had been missing for a while.”
It was an image of a man named Archie, who was responsible for cleaning the pub’s beer lines before he passed away.”
My daughter and her 13-year-old son have seen the dark figure of the nun in the kitchen,” said Jane. “My grandson thought he was speaking to me, but I wasn’t even in the pub at the time. It frightened him massively.”
St Hilda’s Church
The plact that connects them all – Dating back to the 13th century, St Hilda’s Church was built on top of the monastery that was destroyed by the Danes back in 800 AD. It reportedly has underground tunnels that connect to the sea wall, St Hilda’s Hospital, and The Cosmopolitan Hotel. The tunnels were reportedly used by smugglers, but there is a local theory that the tunnels were used as a hiding place for scared nuns during the Viking raids, which, if true; would make them well over 1000 years old.
Have you witnessed any paranormal phenomena in the area?
