The story of Hartlepool is, of course, the story of three towns: the ancient Hartlepool clustered around the Headland, the thriving new Victorian town of West Hartlepool and the amalgamated Hartlepool comprising old and West Hartlepool. Hartlepool History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of these three north-eastern towns in one, their well-known streets and famous faces, and explains what they meant to local people throughout the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Hartlepool as authors Paul Chrystal, Stan Laundon and Simon Crossley guide us through the local streets.

Paul Chrystal was educated at the Universities of Hull and Southampton where he took degrees in Classics and wrote his MPhil thesis on attitudes to women in Roman love poetry. He appears regularly on BBC local radio the World Service as well as publishing features for national newspapers and history magazines. He has been history advisor for a number of York tourist attractions and is the author of many books on a wide range of subjects, including histories of northern places focussing on Yorkshire, social histories of tea, chocolate and confectionery and various aspects of classical literature and Roman history. Paul lives near York and is married with three grown up children. Stan Laundon, a well-known and popular figure in Hartlepool. He was a producer/presenter on BBC Tees for many years, is an enthusiastic amateur photographer and a journalist who worked with a number of famous bands in the sixties and seventies. Simon is a talented, award-winning digital designer with years of creative experience. He has worked within the design team at media giant BSkyB and worked with some of UK’s leading design and marketing agencies on several commercial projects, including for Carlson Rezidor working on the Radisson Blu brand. Simon’s artistic flair flows through his work, creating professional brands and marketing campaigns to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes. His attention to detail and desire to create new and exciting digital ideas help lead his clients from success to success.