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2000 years of Rugby History! Well almost.
1.
Our Walk starts at the Heugh Lighthouse. It is probable that the Romans built a Lighthouse here in the late 4th Century. The Roman Invasion brought with it a game called “harpastum” which involved carrying the ball by hand on a playing card shaped pitch Who knows, maybe the game was played by those who manned the Lighthouse or the nearby port at Seaton Carew in those times, to become the first to play football in the district. To the West, we have a view of “West Hartlepool” its founder, Ralph Ward Jackson was a contemporary of William Webb Ellis, allegedly the founder of Rugby Football, maybe Ralph Ward Jackson was also on the field at the time and witnessed the event? And of course, the Sebastopol Cannon reminds us of the foreign policy of the 1850s. Although we and the French fought together at Sebastopol, by the late 1850s there was a general fear of a French invasion in this country. From this fear stemmed the Rifle Volunteers, the nearby Heugh Battery and HMS “Warrior” which produced large groups of young men who would later spend their spare time playing Football, Cricket, Athletics and other organised sport, which remains today as our Victorian Heritage.
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2. Radcliffe Terrace. This
distinct row of houses has another distinction in that no less that 3 England
Internationals have lived in this Terrace. F.H.R.Alderson, England Captain
in the 890s , at No….
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3. Cleveland Hotel. Northgate
& Brig Open. It was in this building that a group of cricketers
got togther in October, 1875 to form the first Rugby Club “The Hartlepool’s
Foot Ball Club” Nearby stood the Hartlepool Railway Station where triumphant
Rugby teams would return with their Trophies to be met by the Mayor and then
led to their HQ.
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4 Galleys Field Court.
The site of Hartlepool Rovers first ground.
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5. The Independent Chapel.
The Independent Chapel. Home of the Heortensians RFCs. Sunday School Foundation stone by Jos E. Murrell, His son, Arthur Murrell ,President of Rovers, played for Lennox RFC in Surrey, famed for their connection with the split with the Rugby League. Corner of Throston St and Durham St, site of “Oddy’s” Buildings. A tenement, the tenants favourite sport pre 1914, was to stone the Durham City team Charabanc on the way to the Friarage! Nearby is Friar Terrace and Mayfield House home of Hartlepool RFC from 1945 to 1970.
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6. Northgate Methodists & Darlington St.
Here the Heortensians was formed; St Mary’s also had their HQ here. , Nearby Sid Hind set up his business. Sid’s grandfather was one of two men whose departure from Carlisle RFC to Huddersfield led to the formation of the old Northern Union later the Rugby League.
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7. Bus Stop. Corner
of Durham St & Middlegate outside of Anchor Court. Here Hartlepool
Athletic was formed in 1943.
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8. St.Hilda’s Church.
And the R.F.Oakes Memorial Porch at the entrance Oakes played for Rovers, Durham and England and was President of the RFU in 1933. Rovers still play an annual memorial match in his honour. The porch was a gift from the Yorkshire R F U.
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9. Morrison Hall, Church Close. formerly St Marks, home of the 1st Coy Hartlepool Boys Brigade Founded by Dr A E Morrison,. from a modest start in Prissick Street.
Dr A. E. Morrison at the wheel.
10. Friarage. Moor Terrace. Original home of the Rovers, opposite “Greencliffe”, this building was bought by Rovers in 1920 as a Memorial to those who fell in the First World War. Hartlepool ’s Football Club was the first Club known to play on this piece of ground. It also saw the visit of the Maoris in 1888, the 1st All Blacks in 1905 and the First Australians in 1908 along with the first Barbarians game in 1890. The ground is still in use to day by Hartlepool BBOB, one of the Clubs started by Bertie Morison.
The Friarage: 1937 - Oakes Silver Jubilee Game
1. Heugh Lighthouse
2. Radcliffe Terrace
3. Cleveland Hotel, Northgate & Brig Open
4. Galleys Field Court
5. The Independant Chapel, Corner of Throston & Durham
6. Northgate Methodists, Darlington Street
7. Bus Stop, Corner of Durham St. & Middlegate
8. St. Hilda's Church
9. Morrison Hall, Church Close
10. Friarage, Moor Terrace