The houses here
The Headland is where Hartlepool began. A monastery was founded here around 650 AD under St Hilda, and in 2002 the Time Team archaeologists searched the area for its remains. In the Middle Ages the town was walled, and stretches of the Town Wall survive along the shore. In 1860 the Heugh Battery was built here, one of three batteries protecting the port; it is now a museum. When West Hartlepool grew up around the new docks from 1848, the Headland became the old town.
Its housing reflects that history. The Headland and Harbour ward is one of the most densely built parts of the borough: in the 2021 Census, 38.8% of homes are terraced and 27.3% are flats, with 23.2% semi-detached and only 6.9% detached. Victorian and Edwardian terraces fill the streets behind the promenade, with older houses around Regent Square, Albion Terrace and the Town Wall.
Most outdoor spaces here are small: a back yard enclosed by brick walls, sometimes with a back gate onto a lane, sometimes with no rear access at all. The usual request is a tidy, level, well-drained surface across the whole yard, often replacing cracked concrete, with space for a table and perhaps planters along a wall.
Ground and the sea
The British Geological Survey shows the Headland on glacial till over dolostone of the Roker Formation, a magnesian limestone. In a back yard, what we usually find under old concrete is a mix of clay, old building rubble and ash from a century or more of use. We dig to firm ground, take out anything soft or loose, and build a compacted stone sub-base before laying.
Drainage in an enclosed yard needs particular care, because water has nowhere to go except the drain. We set a fall to an existing gully or a new channel drain, and keep the finished surface below the damp-proof course of the house.
No part of Hartlepool is more exposed to the weather. Wind-blown spray reaches well inland on the peninsula, so stone and joints need to cope with salt and frequent wetting. Porcelain and dense sandstone suit these yards, laid on a full mortar bed with a firm joint. The Environment Agency shows Flood Zone 3 within 750 metres of the centre, around the harbour edges.
Many Headland yards are narrow and shaded by high walls for part of the day, so moss and algae can build up on porous stone. Porcelain, or sandstone sealed and laid with a good fall, stays cleaner. Lighter colours brighten a small yard, and we can fit recessed covers over inspection chambers so the paving runs straight across.
Do you need permission?
The Headland has a conservation area and 37 listed buildings and structures, among them the Church of St Hilda, the Borough Buildings and Borough Hall, the Carnegie Building, houses on Regent Square, Regent Street and Albion Terrace, and several houses on the Town Wall.
Even in the conservation area, a ground-level patio in a back yard is usually permitted development. Front gardens, boundary walls and listed buildings need more care. If your home is listed, any work that affects it or its setting should be agreed with Hartlepool Borough Council before it starts. We will tell you at the visit if anything on your plan needs checking.
Pricing a Headland patio
We give a quote after a visit. On the Headland, cost mostly depends on:
- Access. Many yards can only be reached through the house.
- Clearance. Breaking out old concrete and rubble.
- Drainage. Enclosed yards need a fall to a gully or channel drain.
- Materials. Stone that copes with salt and wind.
- Walls. Repairing or rebuilding low yard walls.
- Size and shape. Small yards mean more cutting per square metre.
Around the Headland
- Patios, Throston: West along the coast: homes from Victorian terraces to newer estates.
- Patios, the Park area: South-west: large Victorian villas around Ward Jackson Park.
- Patios, Hart: North-west, inland: an ancient village with a Grade I church.
Useful pages for Headland yards: indian sandstone patios, porcelain patios, garden walls.
All places we cover: areas page.
What Headland homeowners ask
Our yard has no rear access. Can you still do it?
Yes. Materials come through the house in manageable loads, and we protect floors and doorways throughout.
Which stone lasts best so close to the sea?
Porcelain and dense sandstone stand up well to salt and wind. Soft, porous stone can weather faster on the Headland.
Do I need consent for a yard patio in the conservation area?
Normally not for a ground-level patio at the back. Listed buildings, front gardens and boundary walls are where consent may be needed.
Water pools in our yard. Can you fix that?
Yes. We set a fall to a gully or channel drain so the yard sheds water away from the house.
Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, Headland and Harbour ward (Nomis); Wikipedia: Headland, Hartlepool; Planning Data: conservation areas; Planning Data: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.