Things you didn't know about... Hartlepool

Hartlepool's alien connections
Alien and Blade Runner director, Sir Ridley Scott, is a former student of the West Hartlepool College of Art.

Hartlepool's tiny resort for Quakers
The diminutive seaside resort of Seaton Carew, formerly a bathing venue for Darlington's Quakers, is in the Borough of Hartlepool.

Somewhat neglected until the 1990s, Seaton Carew is now a regenerated attraction with pristine beaches and an elegant promenade leading to the swish Hartlepool Marina. The Art Deco clock at Seaton Carew's bus station appeared in scenes from Mike Leigh's film Career Girls.

Hartlepool was the scene of a monkey's execution
Hartlepool's famous monkey-hanging legend derives from the Napoleonic Wars, when a French ship was wrecked off the north east coast. Hartlepool fisherman searching the wreckage discovered the ship's sodden pet monkey, dressed in miniature military garb. The fishermen decided the monkey was a French spy and, after interrogating the unfortunate simian, they summarily hanged it from a ship's mast.

Hartlepool, first casualty of World War I
During World War I, Hartlepool was the first place in mainland Britain to suffer a bombing raid. On the morning of 16 December 1914, 1,000 shells fired from battle cruisers emerging from the mist battered Hartlepool, killing over 100 people. Among the dead was Theo Jones, the first soldier to be killed on British soil during the Great War.

Vicious Viking raiders plundered Hartlepool
Formerly a 7th-century village, the town of Hartlepool is sited on the remains of St Hilda's monastery, destroyed by Viking raiders in 800 AD.

Cloughie began his career managing Hartlepool
The inimitable Brian Clough started his career as a football manager at Hartlepool United FC in 1965, where he remained for two seasons. Fans affectionately nickname Hartlepool the Monkey Hangers, although rivals Darlington prefer the Chimp Chokers.

Was Hartlepool the home of Beowulf?
Some believe that the legend of Beowulf has its beginnings in Hartlepool. The world where the Anglo-Saxon poem is based is called Heorot, similar to the earliest name for Hartlepool—Heretu. Heorot, loosely translated as Hart, was initially a great mead hall built for the Danish people. And an archaeological dig in nearby Hart village has revealed the remains of an ancient large hall.