HEADS, TREASURES, ROMANS, ART AND THE SEASIDE.

HARTLEPOOL Art Gallery and the Museum of Hartlepool are a split site twin assemblage. The Art Gallery which contains the Hartlepool Tourist Information Centre is on Church Square, while the Museum is housed on Maritime Avenue next to the Historic Quay. Both places are worth visiting.

A major event at the Art Gallery is the Annual Exhibition and Craft Show staged by the Hartlepool Art Club towards the end of the year. There is always a wide selection of artworks, ceramics, jewellery and other crafts by talented artists from throughout the area. The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to buy that special gift for that special person.

The Art Gallery holds Heritage Open Days, which often allow visitors to see parts of the gallery which are normally kept under wraps. A major treat on these days is the privilege of taking a jaunt up the 100 feet high tower and enjoy one of the finest views over the town.

Hidden Treasures is a permanent presentation in which the exhibits are changed regularly. It is held in the apse of the gallery and provides a fascinating look at the past generations of people who lived in the town and their history. The exhibition contains popular pieces of decorative and fine art and historical items which relate to Hartlepool. Many of these items have been donated to the gallery by the people of Hartlepool.

Other exhibitions have included both arts and crafts. There is Quilt Art with many examples of this ancient home craft. Images is an exhibition of paintings, masks video work and the performing arts by people who use the town’s Warren Road Social Skills Centre. The paintings cover the spectrum from portraits through still lives to landscapes, seascapes and skyscapes.

Cleveland College of Art and Design stage their Textile and Surface Design Degree Show, a diverse range of highly creative and really professional work, covering innovative fashion, fabrics and accessories to contemporary interior furnishing designs, textile artwork, greetings cards and giftware designs.

One exhibition consists of six feet high portraits of black and multi-cultural people. There have been presentations of photographic masterpieces. One by Reinhild Beuther concentrated on people such as relatives and friends who have a close relationship.

The Art Gallery has staged displays on children’s comic cartoon characters such as the Bash Street Kids with some of the original artwork on show. Another exhibition has been based on the seaside.

A craft and retail shop in the Art Gallery sells maps, specialist art and local history books, handcrafted cards, prints, paintings, ceramics, glass, metalwork and handcrafted jewellery. The coffee shop, which is open from 11:00 to 14:15 between Tuesday and Saturday, serves an excellent selection of cakes, hot and cold lunches and drinks.

The Art Gallery is open from 10:00 to 17:30 on Tuesdays to Saturdays and 14:00 to 17:00 on Sundays and Bank Holidays. It remains closed on Mondays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

It is housed in the former Christ Church and can be contacted on 01429 869706.

The Museum of Hartlepool displays many artefacts, which relate to the history of the town and district.

Exhibitions have included Metamorphosis, a presentation of work by artists whose studio is housed in the Brooklyn Day Centre. This exhibition reflects the work and achievements of this group since they were formed during the 1990s.

The Museum worked with the Cleveland College of Art and Design to create The Romans are Here exhibition. It takes the visitor back in time to experience how everyday life was lived in Hartlepool under the Roman Occupation. It features recreations of a beach scene, shows an archaeological dig and displays genuine Roman artefacts.

Oh! I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside is a celebration of live at the seaside. It covers the history of beach holidays from the Victorians who took to sea bathing to improve their health to modern day visitors hitting the arcades. Beach fashions from the voluminous costumes of the Victorians to the just year beach wear of today. A wall mural created by local schoolchildren forms the background to this exhibition.

A more sombre note is hit in the Bombardment of Hartlepool exhibition. It tells the tale of the day when Hartlepool became the first place on Mainland Britain to be bombed by the Germans High Seas Fleet which also bombarded other North east Coast towns on December 16, 1914.

The Museum of Hartlepool is open from 10:00 to 17:00 daily except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. More information can be obtained from 01429 860006 or 860077.

It is adjacent to the Hartlepool Historic Quay and refreshments are available onboard the PSS Winfield Castle, a floating restaurant.