the heugh breakwater

The Heugh Breakwater Since 1851, the Heugh Breakwater has stood the test of time and all that the North Sea had to throw against it. For five generations the people of Hartlepool looked after and maintained the breakwater, repairing it whenever the sea took its toll. But the sixth generation, my generation, the generation that seems to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, has chosen not to carry on this task. I’m told it’s expensive; it’s not viable and besides, it’s someone else’s responsibility. Shame on us. A Brief History The north east coast of England is known to be very dangerous. From the early1800s local people provided a lifeboat service for ships in distress off their shore. Many ships have been wrecked on the rocks and in winter there can be severe storms, such as those in 1857, 1859 and most notably the Great Gale of 1861, when seventy ships were lost in one day. As the new town of West Hartlepool grew, so did the number of ships using the new docks and Hartlepool Harbour. It was realised that some sort of refuge was needed to make it possible for ships to gain shelter without being blown onto either Longscar Rocks off Seaton Carew or the rocks around the Headland. A Harbour of Refuge would make it much easier for ships to come to port, thus bringing more trade and money to the town. The original plans called for the construction of two breakwaters; one using the rocks surrounding the Headland as its foundation and the second using Longscar Rocks. An Act of Parliament was needed for such a large project. The first Act, which was obtained by Cuthbert Sharp in 1817, became out of date with the growth of West Hartlepool. A new act was obtained in 1855. Many engineers drew plans showing ideas for the new harbour. Some plans were priced up, estimates ranging between £97,000 and £800,000 (worth up to £35 million today). The main problem preventing the building of the Harbour of Refuge was money. The Government of the day did not provide the money because it argued that the issue was a local matter. The Act of 1855 allowed the Port and Harbour Commissioners to borrow £835,000. This would work out in the region of £40 million today, which would have been impossible for the Port and Harbour Commission to pay back. For over ten years Ralph Ward Jackson, the Member of Parliament for the Hartlepools, campaigned forcefully in Parliament to persuade the Government to provide the money. No solution was ever reached, and eventually steam power took over from sail. The need for a harbour of refuge became less pressing, because steam powered boats were able to sail against the wind. This meant they were less likely to be blown onto the rocks. After a space of fourteen years, the Commissioners finally decided that they were not going to be able to raise the money. In 1851 work had started on a breakwater, which had been built to a length of 750 feet (229m). The work had been interrupted for fear that it would interfere with the plans for the Harbour of Refuge. The Commissioners obtained a further Act of Parliament in 1869 so they could at least complete the Breakwater, which needed to be 600 feet (183m) longer. The second half of the Breakwater was built, and provided some shelter for ships entering the port. In Victorian and Edwardian times, the Breakwater became a popular stroll for both locals and visitors enhanced by the opening of the new promenade in 1889. It’s value to the Headland as an amenity continued until lack of maintenance made the structure unsafe. It has long been a popular fishing venue, particularly during the Mackerel season in July. The Breakwater was breached in the Great Tidal Surge of 1953 which resulted in the destruction in the shore-line bathing pool which was never re-built. The Breakwater itself was quickly repaired and the visible evidence of this can still be seen. Maintenance Responsibility for maintaining the Breakwater has passed to various bodies over the years and routine maintenance had ensured its sound state for over 140 years. In more recent history, responsibility fell to the Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority, a publicly owned body. However, the authority was dissolved on 31st March, 1994 as part of the then Government’s strategy to sell off many publicly owned assets to the private sector. This allowed the sale of the Port Authority to P.D. Ports which was part of the Babcock & Brown Group. As with other privatisations, the monies raised from the sale went directly to the Treasury. No legal provision was made to ensure the continued maintenance of the Breakwater. The port of Hartlepool had at one time been a very busy port importing timber from Scandinavia and exporting coal to the south of England and elsewhere and for a while Hartlepool became the third biggest in terms of tonnage in the UK. Since the decline of the coal industry and the end of the coal and timber trade that position, somewhat ironically, is now held by Teesport and it is here that the man interest of P.D. Ports now lies. The decline of the port has been mirrored by the decline of interest shown by P.D. Ports in maintaining the Breakwater. In fact, it would be fairer to say that very little maintenance of the Breakwater has taken place since the creation of the Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority. The eye of PD Ports is more focused on the development of Teesport and in particular the development of the port as a container port to rival Felixstowe and Tillbury. It’s main remaining interest in Hartlepool is now the value of the land it inherited around Hartlepool Docks Area and it stands to be one of the main beneficiaries of the proposed Victoria Harbour Development.