Hartlepool museum hailed as 'one of the most important historic military sites in England' awarded almost £40,000 Historic England funding

The funding for the Headland’s gun battery which defended the town during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools in 1914 has been announced by public body Historic England.

The site is now an independently run museum dedicated to telling the story of the Bombardment and is home to a host of field artillery guns, vehicles and a large collection of military artefacts.

But it needs significant repair work and is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register as part of the Hartlepool Headland Conservation Area.

Problems include concrete decay, metalwork corrosion, poor ventilation and flooding, which has resulted in some parts of the museum being closed to the public.

Historic England says the issues will only become worse, and has awarded museum bosses £38,530 towards specialist surveys of the battery to assess the extent of the damage and pay for the development of a repair and maintenance plan.

It will also help to unlock further funding for the repairs and is said to mark the first major step in securing the long-term future of the site.

Tom Gledhill, heritage at risk projects officer at Historic England, said: “The Heugh Battery is one of the most important historic military sites in England.

"We are really pleased to be working with the Heugh Gun Battery Trust to restore this cherished local attraction.”

The battery site has been a military position since the 17th century, but its most defining moment was on December 16, 1914, when it returned fire on three German battle cruisers which shelled Hartlepool killing over 100 civilians.

Diane Stephens, Heugh Battery Museum manager, said: “We are grateful to Historic England for their support in helping us to access professional advice to get vital information together about what is needed to repair and restore the fabric of this important historic military site, which is such a beloved part of our community.

“We hope that we can go on to secure the funds needed for the repairs and cannot thank Historic England enough for their support and advice throughout this process.”