Death by a Thousand Costs: The Collapse of Hartlepool’s Pub Trade as another Historic Pub Closes its Doors..

The Ship Inn, Located at Middlegate on the Hartlepool Headland has reportedly become the latest casualty of the declining pub industry after the public house went into probate following the death of its owner.

Is This the End for Hartlepool's Iconic Headland Pubs?.

Second Hartlepool Pub shuts down just weeks after another historic pub called time.

4th Jan 2026

A second Hartlepool pub has closed its doors just weeks after an Iconic Pub believed to have been one of Hartlepool's oldest pubs closed its doors for the final time...

The Ship Inn, located on Hartlepool's Southgate is now boarded up after reportedly calling time just before Christmas following the death of its owner leaving many residents and visitors concerned about what the future holds for Hartlepool's traditional pubs.

The Pot House on Hartlepool's Headland closed in 2025, leaving behind a legacy of being one of the towns oldest pubs, & its future, like the Ship Inn located just a short walk away in question

In November 2025, It was reported The Pot House – believed to be one of the oldest pubs on the Hartlepool Headland, formerly known as The Harbour of Refuge closed its doors permanently, ending more than a century of service to the local community. Local records now categorise the venue as “closed long term”, with no plans for reopening and the business which operated from the public house recently applying to the High Court to be 'wound up', according to records seen by the Teesside & Durham Post.. That closure comes just months after The Globe, another popular Headland pub was placed on the market for sale.

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