Here you can find interesting local stories from the collections in our museums.
Built at a time when medical practices were still learning about mental illness and learning disabilities and when society viewed these conditions with much suspicion and stigma, St Luke's was a complex labyrinth of buildings designed to both care for and incarcerate those considered to be mentally ill.
Dame Laura Knight was one of the most well-known women artists in England. She worked mostly in Nottingham and London and produced paintings that depicted circus performers and travelling communities, and her paintings of England’s war effort during World War Two.
In the mid-1890s to mid-1900s, she lived and worked in Staithes, and while many of her paintings and drawings during that time have not survived, Kirkleatham Museum holds a small collection of the sketches that were a part of her development as an artist.
The Pill is remembered as a revolutionary advancement in the woman's movement towards greater independence and freedom. But did the people who invent the Pill have the best of intentions at heart?
Henriette Ronner-Knip is known for her paintings of animals, especially cats, and five of her paintings are part of the art collection of Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Services.
This Christmas we are taking a look at the drapery business that launched the successful career of one of Hartlepool's most famous men, Sir William Gray. Featuring some Christmas Present flyers from his high class stores, this story shines a light on one of Hartlepool's greatest business.
During the First World War England sometimes came under attack by German Army Zeppelins, which could be terrifying and destructive, but they were not unbeatable. This is the story of one shot down by Sub-Lieutenant Ian Pyott of Seaton Carew RAF base.
On the 11th November 1918, at 5am in the morning the armistice was signed marking the end of the First World War. The war had been raging for four and a half years, changing the very landscape of British society, killing and injuring millions across the globe.
Officially though the war ended for definite with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, and in July, Britain celebrated.
For Halloween we are looking at a prehistoric monster that once lived many millions of years ago and whose remains continue to be found on our coast to this day.
For many a century the ghost of Lady Gerard, sometimes called Jerrett, has been said to haunt Darlington Town Centre. In fact, her story is quite possibly the most famous ghost story in the town. For Halloween this year we are going to relay the bloody story of Lady Gerard and see if it holds up to historical scrutiny.
In the 1860s a pottery and brickworks was set up in the village of Commondale. The pottery was short-lived but produced some memorable wares, and bricks with ‘Commondale’ in them can be found around North Yorkshire and the North East.
In this blog we are looking into the fascinating history of The Arosa Factory in West Hartlepool. The Arosa Factory specialised in making nylon hosiery and they produced many wonderful photographs of the factories workers making stockings, the new technologies used in their creation and the catwalks they held to promote there stock.
Alan Lynn from West Hartlepool fought in one of the most strategic battles of World War Two, the capture and liberation of Fort Montbarey in France in 1944. This battle helped to secure the end of Nazi occupation in Europe.
