The photograph has been taken on waste land in Old Cemetery Road looking towards Steetley in May 1999. The brick wall is that of Hartlepool Old Cemetery (often known as Spion Kop) The Jewish Cemetery entrance can just be identified by pillars in the wall close to Steetley.
Date (of image) : 0/5/1999
Part of the "Library" collection
Location
Opened in 1856 some way from Old Hartlepool at the time, and right on the sea front, over 26000 people were buried at Spion Kop. Although the cemetery was closed some years ago for new graves, the last burial was 1997.
Adjoining the cemetery at the north end of it, is a Jewish Cemetery.
Many of the old tombstones in this remote burial ground are completely covered with sand and the cemetery is a local nature reserve maintained by Hartlepool Council.
More detail »Steetley Magnesite Works were opened in 1937 and were built to extract magnesium from sea water. They were often called the Palliser works and were owned for most of the time by Steetley of Worksop. Production increased in 1939 because the site was the only one in the UK producing much needed magnesite in World War 2 for steel production.
In 1997, the company was sold to Britmag and was again sold in 2002 to CJC Chemicals but neither of these companies enjoyed success and it was closed in 2005.
The chimney, which could be seen from great distance up the Durham coast was built in 1961, and in 2012 was demolished aided by a young boy who had won the privilidge of firing the explosive in a raffle for Hartlepool Hospice.
After many problems with the safety of the derelict plant and youngsters attracted by the similarity of it to swimming pools and diving boards, Hartlepool Council have finally cleared the site now.
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