West Hartlepool

In 1870 Parliament decided that all children must go to school and the Schools Act said that School Boards must be set up to ensure this happened. The powers in the town at the time decided that there were enough places in existing schools for 3270 children and that a School Board was unnecessary. However, some insisted that 1,800 were roaming the streets and that if the citizens did not set up a School Board, then the Government would.

Many arguments (described as riotous), followed and in March 1875 a School Board was finally appointed and was called Stranton School Board. By 1882 their offices were in Tower Chambers Tower Street. In 1887, the Stranton School Board was renamed West Hartlepool School Board and in 1894 the Education Offices were opened in Park Road.

Hartlepool

In 1883, Hartlepool (old area now called the Headland) appointed a School Board and this assimilated the Throston School Board of 1874. In 1945, Durham Education Authority took over Hartlepool schools. (Notes taken from Robert Wood Hartlepool Schools)

Post-1967 Hartlepool

When the two towns were amalgamated, Hartlepool Education Authority was formed and continued until the Cleveland Authority was formed in 1974 and schools were administered by Cleveland Authority. When Cleveland was dissolved in 1996, Hartlepool  schools were once again under the Hartlepool Authority.

Park Road Hartlepool is a mile long. The lower part, in particular from Stockton Street to York Road, has always been largely a business area, whereas the upper part is mainly residential. There are many substantial detached and semi detached homes, mainly of Victorian and Edwardian build which are fairly expensive properties.

When first developed, it was named Commercial Street, but this was changed in the mid 1880s because when Ward Jackson Park was opened in 1883, it literally became a road to the park from the centre of town.

This school was opened in 1884 as an Upper Grade school for more able secondary age pupils. When Elwick Rd School opened in 1906, most pupils were transferred there and Lark Rd b3 and an ordinary secondary school. It closed in 1964 and most pupils were admitted to Lister Street Seniors which in turn closed for secondary pupils in 1966. THe building was demolished in 1984.

Opened in 1880, the church was demolished in 1985 some time after closing and the site is the lower Park Road entrance to the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre. The congregation became part of St George's United Reform Church.