Seaton Carew

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Coordinates: 54°39′46″N 1°11′20″W / 54.662774°N 1.188819°W / 54.662774; -1.188819

Seaton Carew
Houses around The Green at the seaside resort of Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew  Seaton Carew shown within County Durham
Population	6,018 (2001)
OS grid reference	NZ52323006
Unitary authority	Hartlepool
Ceremonial county	County Durham
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HARTLEPOOL
Postcode district	TS25
Dialling code	01429
Police	Cleveland
Fire	Cleveland
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Hartlepool
List of places: UK • England • County Durham

Seaton Carew (pronounced /kə'ɹuː/) is a small seaside resort within the Borough of Hartlepool, in County Durham, England with a population of 6,018 (2001).^[1] It is situated on the North Sea coast between the town of Hartlepool and the mouth of the River Tees. The town is named after a Norman French family called Carou who owned lands in the area and settled there,^[2][3] while Seaton means farmstead or settlement by the sea.

History

Seaton Carew was a popular bathing place for the Darlington Quakers. Its heyday was the early 19th century, when rows of pretty little stucco houses were built along the seafront and around The Green, a modestly handsome turfed square facing the sea. The museum of Hartlepool mentions that a small riot involving Irish labourers took place in the late Victorian era, when townsfolk mistook them for Fenian agitators.

The 20th century added little in the way of amenities and the place was once considered to possess a faded charm. Recent regeneration work however, has done much to change this. A promenade allows visitors to walk from Hartlepool Marina to Seaton Carew, giving spectacular unrestricted views of the North Sea. Opposite The Green was the crumbling (and dangerous) North Shelter housing the former lifeguard station and public toilets. This has now been demolished while the South Shelter behind the bus station was demolished several years before.

Tourism

Warm summer days continue to attract many visitors to the resort's spotless beach, arcades, and fish and chip restaurants. Every November a fireworks display and carnival attracts thousands of visitors from across the region to celebrate Bonfire Night. There is live music and fairground rides on the Saturday which falls closest to Bonfire Night, November 5.

Recent events

The town hit worldwide headlines in December 2007 when John Darwin, believed dead since an apparent canoeing accident off Seaton Beach in 2002, walked into a London police station and gave himself up as a missing person, sparking a major fraud investigation by Cleveland Police. Following the events of this, someone had put up a new road sign near the railway station on Seaton Lane saying "Welcome to Seaton Canoe twinned with Panama", it has now been taken down.^[4]

Landmarks

Seaton Carew bus station and art deco clock tower

Numerous buildings around The Green are grade II listed and the sea front bus station has a recently renovated grade II listed art deco clock tower. One mile south of Seaton Carew town is Hartlepool nuclear power station. Seaton Carew's coastline is the location of the Hartlepool Submerged Forest, a site of special scientific interest.

Notable people

• The science fiction writer Mark Adlard was born at Seaton Carew^[5] and for a time he lived on The Green.
• Clara Share Lockwood - Lady Dorman (1853-1933) was born in Seaton Carew. In 1873 she married Arthur Dorman co-founder of Dorman Long and Co Ltd.^[6]
• The leading railway poster artist Frank Henry Mason was born at Seaton Carew in 1876 and briefly worked in a Hartlepool shipyard.^[7]

Transport

Seaton Carew is served by the A178 road and by Seaton Carew railway station. Stagecoach Hartlepool provide regular bus services to Seaton Carew from Hartlepool Town Centre, services 1 and 4A as well as service 1 to/from Middlesbrough and Port Clarence. The train station is also served with hourly Northern Rail services, from Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle and Hexham. The nearby station of Hartlepool also offers a direct London Service operated by Grand Central.

Sports

Seaton Carew has the following sporting facilities located at the junction of Elizabeth Way and Tees Road:

• Golf Club
• Rugby Club
• Cricket Club.

Cultural references

Seaton Carew features in science fiction writer Mark Adlard's 'T-city' trilogy and the bus station features in several scenes in the Mike Leigh film Career Girls. HMS Seaton Carew is a (fictitious) space vessel that appeared in an episode the BBC 2 TV series Hyperdrive.^[8]

Local Delicacies

Seaton Carew is noted for originating the Chicken Curry Half and half dish consisting of a regular spicy chicken curry served on a bed of half rice / half chips.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Hartlepool
• Hartlepool borough
• Hartlepool nuclear power station
• Seaton Carew railway station
• Seaton Carew Wreck
• Seaton Dunes and Common
• Tees and Hartlepool Foreshore and Wetlands SSSI

References

External links

Photographs of Seaton Carew: Geograph, Francis Frith