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Blogs

Keep up to date with all the latest blog posts from Tees Valley Museums.

When the Boat Comes In

This month Hartlepool Art Gallery opened a new exhibition, When the Boat Comes In, showcasing the variety of maritime artworks the Gallery has.

North Shore Pottery

James Smith, the brother of the infamous Stockton potter William Smith, founded North Shore Pottery in Stockton in the 1840s which was an exporter of ceramic wares both locally and across the world.

Locos and Lemon Tops

This month we are shining a light on one of our newly opened exhibitions at Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum. Holidays to the seaside are a big part of many of our lives, from children exited to going to the beach to spending time with the family, fish and chips, arcades, and the all-important ice-cream. Many people shared their memories of seaside holidays for the exhibition, and we will be sharing some of their stories here too.

The Queen in Stockton and Middlesbrough 1956

Three years after her Coronation, Queen Elizabeth II made a Royal visit to Stockton and Middlesbrough on her way to Sweden.

Celebrating the Coronation in the Tees Valley

On Tuesday 2nd June 1953 the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey, and across the country towns and cities celebrated the occasion.

Sister Mary Jacques poses in a sepia photograph looking straight in front at the camera. Her thin face with its round chin is the only part of her body you can see as she is wearing a dark bonnet which frames her face, with a long dark veil flowing down the back, tied with a bow under her chin. She is wearing a dark cape that shows no figure and makes her look like a triangle with her head being the top of the triangle.

Sister Mary Jacques

For this years international nurses day (12th May) we are celebrating the life of Sister Mary Jacques, a pioneering nurse who's legacy includes the creation of the Cottage Hospital system in Middlesbrough aimed solely at treating the working class poor.

Camerons Brewery

Founded in Hartlepool and still based in the town today, Camerons is one of the largest brewing companies in the Tees Valley and North East.

Painted picture of a woman with a fresh complexion, red lips, thin black eyebrows, blue eyes and long black lashes looking into a scalloped green hand mirror. She is applying powder to her cheek with a pink fluffy powder puff.

Make Up and Beauty

In this blog we are counting down our top five make up and beauty objects in the collection at Preston Park Museum and Grounds.

Women Railway Workers in World War One

As part of Women’s History Month, we are telling the stories of the many women who worked for the North Eastern Railway and kept the Service running during a dark time in England’s history.

The Rondo wage slip

Hartlepool Museum’s collections include many pieces of shipping paperwork. This is a wage slip for a seaman working on a ship, the ‘Rondo’.

The Zetland Lifeboat

The design and building of lifeboats began around the 1780s, and it was at this time that a pioneering boatbuilder made the first lifeboats, one of which was the Zetland.

A Dickensian Christmas

Inspired by Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol', we are looking at the Victorian Christmas. The Victorians created many of our best loved Christmas traditions and decorations!