Wesley Chapel: Historic Hartlepool building undergoing £4m revamp hit by fire

A fire has broken out at a historic building in Hartlepool which was undergoing a £4m transformation.

Cleveland Fire Brigade were called to the blaze at the old Wesley nightclub, in Wesley Square, at around 6:30pm on Tuesday 7 November.

Five engines and an aerial ladder platform attended the scene at one point while people were urged to avoid the area if possible.

Earlier this year Hartlepool Borough Council announced the Grade II-listed building, also known as Wesley Chapel, would undergo a multimillion-pound development.

Built in 1873, the Victorian Methodist chapel had stood empty for several years following a fire in 2017 which gutted the interior and roof structure.

A £4.1m scheme, which was being delivered by Hartlepool Borough Council and propertydeveloper Jomast was expected to bring the building back into use as a 36-bedroom hotel, restaurant and commercial units.

The work on the Wesley Chapel was set to focus initially on making the building structurallysafe, including installing a new roof.

The main construction was also set to include restoring the exterior wrought iron work, restoration of the listed stone masonry, new windows and door entrances and the interior development of boutique hotel accommodation with a glazed entrance lobby.

The project, which began in March, was expected to take about 18 months to complete.

It was hoped it would create up to 55 full-time jobs once the hotel and other units are open for business.

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