Our award winning centrepiece

Winner of the Pride of Northumbria Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2002 / 2003

Hartlepool's centrepiece is the award winning Maritime Experience - A superb re-creation of an 18th century seaport, telling the story of life at sea at the time of Nelson, Napoleon and the Battle of Trafalgar which dares you to experience life aboard a real British Naval frigate two centuries ago.

Become entranced by the world of fighting ships and hardy mariners. Turn your head to seafaring games and physical tasks. Face the daily challenges, nautical rituals and the hardship of maritime life in days gone by....and have a fabulous day out at one of Tees Valley's premier attractions.

This superb visitor attraction offers the sights, smells and sounds of the naval yesteryear. With authentic reconstructions of harbour-side shops, Children's Maritime Adventure Centre, Children's Adventure Playship, Quayside Coffee Shop, Fighting Ships, Pressganged!, Skittle Square and much, much more. HMS Trincomalee is one of the most important ships in the world. Built in 1817 of teak in India, she sailed the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and has outlived all her contemporaries. She is the oldest fighing ship afloat in the UK, gloriously restored by the craftsmen of Hartlepool. With the new single ticket you can enjoy a full audio tour of this magnificent vessel. Visit the captain's cabin, mess deck and hold and learn how challenging life on board a war ship was.

A great day out for all ages.

HMS Trincomalee 'sails' back home

THE first phase of a £1.6m programme of improvements has now been completed. HMS Trincomalee is back home, again berthed within Hartlepool's Maritime Experience. She was successfully returned at 6am on March 31st.
She was temporarily rehomed for a couple of months while repairs were undertaken to the hull of the 1934 Paddle Steam Ship Wingfield Castle which took the Trinc's place in the drained dock.

Further work to the interior of the Wingfield is ongoing. HQ Engineering from Hartlepool has been responsible for the repairs and everyone is pleased that the work on the hull has been finished a full month ahead of schedule.

Please call the attraction for further details: 01429 860077. Watch this space for more news.
Click here for more pictures of this event. Photo credit: Chris Armstrong.

These improvements are funded by the Single Programme through One NorthEast and the Tees Valley Partnerships.

Built for the Admiralty in Bombay in 1817, HMS Trincomalee is the oldest ship afloat in the UK. She is the last of the commissioned frigates of the Nelson era and served in the West Indies and the Pacific.

She was stationed in West Hartlepool between 1862 and 1877 as a training ship and continued in a training role for young people at Falmouth and Portsmouth until 1986. She returned to Hartlepool in 1987 and was restored between 1990 and 2001 in a project which won international accolades.

Today, HMS Trincomalee is in the Core Collection of Historic Vessels of the UK due to her “exceptional importance to the maritime heritage of the UK” and in 2004 gained a Silver Award in the Excellence in England tourism ‘oscars.’

The Wingfield Castle was built in Hartlepool in 1934 by William Gray and Company as a passenger and vehicle ferry over the Humber estuary between Hull and New Holland.

She was later bought by Hartlepool Council in the mid 1980s, brought back to Hartlepool and restored to her former glory. She now serves as a floating coffee shop and museum.

For photo's on the event, click here.

The Quayside Step outside of the shops and straight onto an 18th century quayside, complete with its amazing array of stalls, carts, barrels, hoists, ropes, anchors, animal pens and much more. There's even a traditional playground, Skittle Square, complete with 18th century games. Explore Hartlepool's Maritime Experience and enjoy it at your leisure. It brings Britain's Maritime Heritage to life! Visit - The Chandler The Gunsmith The Swordsmith The Naval Tailor The Naval Architect The Printer The Instrument Maker The Admiral's House The Naval Prisoner Make it a really special - Birthday Party Corporate Event

Click on the text links to see/hear details

OPENING TIMES Open daily from 10.00am - 5.00pm (including Bank Holidays). Nov - March 10.30am - 4.00pm Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day Admission Prices: Adult £7.75 Child / Unwaged £4.75 Family (2 Adults/3 Children) £20 Children under 5 Free Over 60 £5.75 FACILITIES FOR DISABLED VISITORS Wheelchairs available. Reserved parking spaces, toilets, lifts and ramped access are provided. Ample seating around the quayside. Please enquire for further details (email us at info@hartlepoolsmaritimeexperience.com or telephone 01429 860 077) PARKING Ample free car parking is available PETS For reasons of safety and hygiene, animals (excluding assistance dogs) are not allowed on site ENQUIRIES For all enquiries telephone (01429) 860077 Hartlepool's Maritime Experience Jackson Dock Maritime Avenue Hartlepool TS24 0XZ

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