Fear and Death is the only words to describe Heugh Gun Batter, The first British soldier to lose his life in the 1st world war was on this site, overlooking the trenchers seas of the North East of England that has been ravished by Vikings, Plague and war. 

For one night Ghost Hunter Team UK will be gearing up with YOU for a full blown overnight paranormal investigation in the extremely haunted headland, over 180 people died here! Do you have what it takes to spend time alone in the same place the innocent civilians of war were taken to die? Can you stand where the dead are still said to roam free in the Heugh Gun Battery?

INTRODUCTION OFFER ONLY £45 PER PERSON FOR Friday, 23^rd July 2010

"German navy decided to carry out a raid that would draw a smaller number of British battleships into an ambush in the North Sea and on the morming of 16th December 1914 the towns of Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby were shelled. Only Hartlepool was defended, both by the batteries and naval vessels and a full scale engagement developed in which 101 civilians, 9 soldiers, 4 sailors and 9 German seamen were killed"

Full Investigation Taken by Other Groups and Rated as: FULL ON

Since renovations at the site began very odd things have been reported by workmen and staff which still continue to this very day. 

Cold icy chills are suddenly felt in previously warm rooms, the stench of death and decay regularly appears from nowhere only to vanish moments later and curious balls of light have been spotted in the pitch black tunnels on many occasions along with full body apparitions and Poltergeist activity.

Shouts and screams are heard emanating from empty rooms, the sound of running footsteps coming from deserted corridors are regularly witnessed and multiple light anomalies have been captured on night-vision cameras by unsuspecting visitors. 

Upon entering these tunnels you will be met by darkness, only a few candles will be allowed.  Although these tunnels were not allowed to have electricity or frictioned items - due to the high explosives once stored here. The only light provided was by candle light in cut-out wall vents and then behind glass, all’s well if they stay light ! 

The eerie quietness broken only by the paranormal activity within the tunnels as Ghostly men have been seen gazing back at on lookers and the sounds of footsteps following you out of the tunnel is a regular occurrence 

Cleveland Paranormal caught an amazing photo of a ghostly man looking back at them here at Heugh Gun Battery (Click Here) to view photo.

The Victorian Muzzle Loading Battery

During the 1850's a wave of panic hit Britain which culminated when France introduced the worlds first ironclad warship sparking fears of invasion. Hasty preparations were made and many ports were given gun batteries to give shelter to the naval and merchant fleets. Hartlepool got nine guns which were placed at the Heugh, by the Lighthouse and at Fairy Cove. Fairy Cove battery did not last long thanks to being on top of crumbling cliffs but the Heugh and Lighthouse Batteries, shored up by the promenade went on to serve for 96 years and were to hold the only British mainland guns to engage enemy warships during the World Wars.

Work began in 1859 when Heugh Battery was built for four large smooth bore guns while a smaller battery for another pair was built next door by the lighthouse. The 68pr guns which had an effective range out to a mile and a half were first manned by the Militia Artillery and later by a detachment of Volunteers raised in the town. During the 1880's the guns were upgraded to 64pr rifled guns but these soon became obsolete so in 1892 the Lighthouse was upgraded with a single 6 inch disappearing gun while the Heugh Battery was left empty.

The Breech Loading Battery:

Even so disapearing guns soon fell out of favour and in 1900 it was decided to completely rebuild Heugh Battery for two of the latest 6 inch Mk VII guns. The old stone work was almost completely removed and new emplacements, underground magazines and a rangefinder post were built in concrete, most of which can still be seen today. Eventually in 1907 a similar gun was placed in the Lighthouse Battery and in 1908 the old Volunteers and Militia were disbanded and replaced by the Territorials who manned the guns right up to 1956.

The new guns with their complex fire control systems could fire out accurately to over seven and a half miles and although not powerful enough to sink an enemy warship outright they were a formidable deterrent to an enemy who may well be damaged and then have to face a difficult journey home at the mercy of the Royal Navy. In December 1914 the guns were given the chance to prove their mettle when three German Battlecruisers attacked the town.

The First World War and the Bombardment:

Unable to face the British fleet in a full scale battle the German navy decided to carry out a raid that would draw a smaller number of British battleships into an ambush in the North Sea and on the morming of 16th December 1914 the towns of Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby were shelled. Only Hartlepool was defended, both by the batteries and naval vessels and a full scale engagement developed in which 101 civilians, 9 soldiers, 4 sailors and 9 German seamen were killed and much property damaged.

Both batteries fought back bravely but were hampered by misfiring guns and dud ammunition. Fortunately the Germans were using standard anti ship ammunition with time delay fuses which bounced off the gun aprons to explode behind the batteries otherwise casualties anong the gunners would have been far higher. Lighthouse Battery did particularly well as one shot seems to have temporarily disabled the Blucher almost forcing her to run aground.

For their bravery the Gun Captains at the Heugh were awarded the first ever pair of Military Medals and the Lighthouse Gun Sergeant won the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Controversially the commander also won a number of awards but his subordinates who actually fought the action went unrewarded thanks to their German ancestry.

The Second World War:

Just before the war one Heugh Battery gun was removed and the Lighthouse gun became part of the Heugh. As in the First World War the Town Moor and nearby housing were taken over to house, feed and train new gunners and new defences which included trenches, pillboxes and an anti aircraft rocket battery were also erected. In 1942 Heugh Battery got its final upgrade when three Coast Defence / Anti Aircraft guns were installed, one at Heugh, one at the Lighthouse site and one on the Town Moor. New command, plotting and rangefinder posts gave these 6 inch Mk 24 high angle guns a range of around 14 miles and the use of radar gave even greater accuracy.

The new guns never fired in anger and were soon mothballed as men were transferred to new units in the run up to D Day. With the end of war Coast Defence continued but now the emphasis was on the potential of the sites for training and anti aircraft defence and Heugh Battery reopened in 1947. Nine years later Russia had demonstrated the ability to launch a nuclear attack by long range missile and after almost 100 years Heugh Battery was closed as Coast Defence was abolished.

The Museum is a fascinating place with some amazing war time storeys, from History to Mystery its worth checking out this very haunted Museum

Heugh Battery houses over 15 artillery pieces ranging from small portable weapons to large naval guns. Many of these are classics like the 25 pounder, the Bofors and 5.5 inch Howitzer but the collection also houses some rarer pieces including an RML gun and a superb turn of the Century mountain gun.

Most of the artillery is displayed outdoors but some of the finer pieces are kept inside to protect them from the elements. As guns are always undergoing restoration visitors are encouraged to visit our workshop where the latest work can be discussed with our volunteers. Occasionally, during special events our saluting gun is brought out for a very exciting public firing. 

As well as the artillery the Battery has a small museum with displays of artillery equipment and weapons. Particularly poignant is a display of relics which have been found in recent years on the old Flanders battlefields which make a grim contrast with the Trench Art and memorabilia produced for the home front. Another display reminds us of Hartlepools WWII civilian services which include a unique fire tender and collection of anti gas equipment.

Although artifacts directly relating to the batteries history or the Bombardment of Hartlepool are very hard to find we do have a small but interesting collection which includes fragments of the German shells, the Battery Commanders binoculars and even a stuffed homing pigeon that carried messages to the towns other defences!

As the restoration continues other parts of the battery are now being fitted out to reflect their original purpose and displays are being developed in the magazines, command post and underground office. Also in the pipeline are an anti aircraft gun diorama and a trench display.

Some highlights of the collections include:

Bronze howitzer from 1740,
Shrapnel from the Bombardment of Hartlepool
Unique engineers models of artillery
3.7 inch anti aircraft gun which served in Malta
Very rare German First War anti tank rifle
Uniform items and equipment of the towns fire service and ARP


Many items have been donated by local people and are our most important pieces as they relate directly to the history of the town and in some cases the battery. Sadly limited space makes it impossible to display everything but these artifacts are all held in trust for future generations and are available for viewing on request

Opening Times: The Heugh Battery site is open throughout the year on the following days. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 until 16:00 with last entry to the site at 15:30 Special events are scheduled for days such as Bank Holidays - Please look at our Events page for upcoming events.

Admission Prices: Adults £4.00 Concessions Children(under 16's)/NUS/OAP £2.50 Family Ticket (2 Adults and 2 Children) £11.00 Veterans, service men and under 5's FREE Click here to visit the Heugh Gun Battery Trust Site

What's Included  

• Guided Ghost Tour of the location 
• Team tasks, so you not just left in the dark waiting for something to happen
• Full use of ghost hunting tools (EMF meters, Infrared thermo, EVP, Cameras etc
• Full Seance's with medium and Ghost Hunter Team UK members
• Psychic Workshop with Medium 
• Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing)
• Small Buffet/Nibbles & refreshments
• Tea and refreshments
• And most important GHOSTS

What will we be doing on the night! 

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit.

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP, laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look round the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks -  We won’t just leave you sitting around, we have team and lone vigil task’s that everyone should take part in. There is also lone vigil forfeits if someone do’s not complete the task in the haunted location. We will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location. Everything from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location.

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Each team will get a chance to analyse the data recorded and spend time in the HUB with our lead investigator, monitoring the night vision cameras and much more!

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!

Key information
The minimum age is 18 years. No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.
Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Upon booking we will send you an email confirmation & information pack from Alone In The Dark Entertainment

Tickets priced at £45 with a £20 deposit and pay the rest on the night of the event.