120-feet Hartlepool clock tower set to reopen as £300,000 gallery repairs granted approval
A raft of improvements to restore and reopen a major Hartlepool landmark to the public after more than £300,000 of funding was secured have been approved.
Proposals were submitted to Hartlepool Development Corporation earlier this year to carry out repairs and improvements at Hartlepool Art Gallery in Church Square.
The work, which has now been approved, will allow the 120ft-high clock tower to reopen after being closed for seven years.
In February it was announced Hartlepool Borough Council had been awarded £302,383 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Museum Estate and Development (MEND) Fund towards urgent repairs.
A listed building consent application was subsequently put in by council chiefs.
A report from development corporation planning officers confirmed the proposals have been approved, adding they will “improve the condition of the listed building and maximise its long term-use as a visitor attraction.”
Work will include internal stonework repairs to the full tower, repairs to the south-east spiral staircase, repairs and adjustments to existing doors, audio loop improvements and remedial works to the viewing platform.
Other measures include improvements to the lower roof, guarding and handrails, additional protections to the bell mechanism for health and safety, metalwork repairs and fire alarm upgrades.
A planning statement in support of the proposals noted the project “will preserve the existing fabric and improve maintenance of the historic structure.”
Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, chair of the Council’s Economic Growth and Regeneration Committee, previously said: “The Art Gallery tower is a much-loved feature of Hartlepool and a key part of the town’s historical and cultural heritage.
“Thanks to this funding we will be able to carry out these urgent, essential repairs and reopen the tower to the public, which in turn will play an important part in supporting the sustainability of the Art Gallery as a whole.
“Visitors will once again be able to enjoy the spectacular outlook from the top of the tower as well as being able to see the beautiful bells and the fascinating clock mechanism.”
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Built in 1854, the Grade II* listed building was formerly the Christ Church before its conversion to the art gallery during the 1990s.
The clock tower has been closed since 2018 due to the cost of repairs.