Tourism Wingfield Castle and HMS Plymouth

[marky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOX3eIWhnQ0&feature=youtube_gdata

[rabbit]

That`s bad! It needs more than a coat of paint. At some time it will need to come out of the water to check the hull condition.

That will cost a few bob I would imagine. Is it safe for visitors? Have HBC made the decision already to scrap it?

[marky]

I seem to remember that was done at some stage. It was moved into the dry dock at the Historic Quay so that work could be done on the hull. It must have been some years ago though - before the Trincomalee was moved into the Historic Quay.
If you're going to have something like the Wingfield Castle, you also have to have a routine maintenance schedule especially as it's open to the elements and the salt air. It doesn't really matter whether it's the Wingfield Castle we're talking about or any of the other fanciful schemes and ideas that HBC comes up with; the story is always the same. It fails to allow enough money from its revenue budget to maintain them.
As for tourism, if there is any truth in the amount of money that HBC claims is brought into the town by toruism then wouldn't it make sense to allocate a proportion of it to maintenance? It's all smoke and mirrors with a heavy dollup of meaningless spin.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

I remember thousands being spent many years ago to paint the railway bridges.

It was said at the time that it cost so much because they had not been looked after for a very long time but would be cheaper in future with regular maintenance.

No surprise that there has not been any regular maintenance.

[popgoestheweasal.]

The smurfs that went to charlton last season did more to get Hartlepool noticed and they cost nothing.

[Donkey Kong]

I remember thousands being spent many years ago to paint the railway bridges.

It was said at the time that it cost so much because they had not been looked after for a very long time but would be cheaper in future with regular maintenance.

No surprise that there has not been any regular maintenance.

Which railway bridges and who did it cost?

And who do you believe should be carrying out the regular maintenance?

[testing times]

Interesting letter in the Mail tonight highlighting that HMS Plymouth is about to be scrapped after the Navy failed to find it a new home. It's the last ship afloat that took part in the Falklands War. apparently. Hartlepool was considered but the narrowness of the lock gates ruled us out.
I've often thought that a collection of ships would make for an interesting tourist attraction but having watched Marky's collage on the Wingfield Castle I guess it would be a non-starter.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

It was the railway bridges from Seaton to Central.

It was a lot of years ago and it was paid for by HBC, hence the query about the cost in The Mail (when it was still a newspaper).

Sorry I don't remember the amount, I think it might have been £5K a bridge which must equate to 2 or 3 times that now.

[AWB]

Have a look at its sister ship, the Tattershall Castle, I know its in London with more visitors etc, but its having a ball! Have a look at its website, shows what can be done.

[Donkey Kong]

It was the railway bridges from Seaton to Central.

It was a lot of years ago and it was paid for by HBC, hence the query about the cost in The Mail (when it was still a newspaper).

Sorry I don't remember the amount, I think it might have been £5K a bridge which must equate to 2 or 3 times that now.

At £5k a bridge it was either a lot of years ago or it wasn't the bridges that were being painted!  You'd be looking at up to a couple of hundred grand to do a relatively small overbridge nowadays if you included all of the on costs.

Anyway railway infrastructure, including the rail bridges, is the responsibility of Network Rail to maintain not HBC.  You are right about maintenance regimes though, as NR don't generally maintain them in line with the specifications and leave them until they're goosed and cost more!

[Donkey Kong]

I don't give a flying f*c* whether you buy those numbers or not to be honest, but if you want to encapsulate, blast clean and repaint a steel bridge then you're not going to get it done for a couple of quid.  UP TO £200k was the numbers I used and although I can't open the link you've posted to see what you're comparing I would say that a bridge like the one down West View Road would at a rough estimate cost you about £100k when you chuck in the fact that anywhere apart from Hartlepool insists on the works (and therefore the road closures) being overnight so you've got to add in all of your TM and nightshift working and what do you want, the moon on a stick?

[Ryehill]

              A collection of ships/boats from around the world would be a great addition to Hartlepool Marina, and they don't have to be big or expensive to be of interest. I have already contacted H.B.C. suggesting that a replica Viking longship be built here . Unfortunately money is in short supply. Maybe we should apply to the E.U. for a grant.
              On a more serious note I am interested in the development of tourism in Hartlepool and would like to see a group formed with that object in mind. I think that some of the best initiatives come from the private sector or enthusiastic amateurs.Any thoughts?
             

[Donkey Kong]

I don't give a flying f*c* whether you buy those numbers or not to be honest

Well, other that HBC not to get away with throwing around any old stat to justify not maintaining things.

Bearing in mind that I've already told you that it would be down to NR to maintain the structures, what the frig has HBC got to do with the maintenance costs or regimes?

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Interesting you mention Viking longboats ...could be an entry in the York races.

Teams travel from all over Europe to take part, so we have an advantage on the travelling front.

[testing times]

I think that both are excellent ideas. Maybe we should just accept that HBC are just bloody useless (and hypocritical) when it comes to attracting real visitors to the town and for townsfolk themselves to take charge. There are still plenty of the old skills around that could make a difference.