Wed 19 Aug, Tourists in Hartlepool

Spent the day exploring the Royal Naval Museum and HMS TRINCOMALEE over in the corner of the marina and short walk from Wight Mistress.

https://www.royalnavymuseums.org.uk/visit-us/ha…

If you ever come to Hartlepool, please do come and look at these; the folk looking after both the museum and the ship are doing a superb job. Very friendly AND they give discount on entry for Veteran IDs and Blue Light cards. The Hartlepool Museum is on the same site and access is free. Very interesting. We also found out why folk from Hartlepool are called ‘Monkey Hangers!’

People from Hartlepool are called "monkey hangers" because of a local legend from the Napoleonic Wars. A French ship wrecked off the coast, and the only survivor was a pet monkey wearing a French military uniform. Because locals had never seen a Frenchman or a monkey before, they held a trial and accused the animal of being a French spy, eventually hanging it on the beach

It seems the local rugby club has a soft toy monkey, called H’Angus, who is hung from their goal posts before a match.

Moored next to the museum is a paddle steamer called WINGFIELD CASTLE. She looks quite sad and delapidated and we understand there is a team engaged in bringing her back to her former glory. Not sure of her future but we really hope she is presented as beautifully as HMS TRINCOMALEE, who, by the way, is afloat in her dock.

On our wander around the marina we chanced upon another vintage vessel called ‘Watchful’ She is now a restaurant but during the Second World War she was active during Operation Dynamo, the extraction of the army from the Dunkirk beaches.

Found a bar and sat in the sunshine for a couple of hours, watching the world go by.
Hartlepool has a lovely marina – we haven’t ventured further out yet.Read more