Andy Capp Statue

There is plenty to explore around Harlepool's Headland and some may wonder who the beer-bellied flat-capped chap is. Those of a certain age will know he is Andy Capp the cartoon character in a daily newspaper..

The creator was Reg Smythe (1917 to 1998) who was born and died in Hartlepool. Wikipedia tells us:

'[..] in 1957, he was asked by Mirror editor Hugh Cudlippto create a cartoon character for the paper's Manchester edition. He thought up Andy Capp, a stereotypically lazy, selfish working-class northerner in a flat cap, and his long-suffering wife Flo, during the seven-hour drive from his mother's house in Hartlepool to London.Andy Capp, the irrepressible pub dweller created Reg Smythe first appeared in the Daily Mirror newspapers of England in 1958 as a cartoon panel. It quickly became a favourite throughout the country, as readers everywhere could identify with the good-for-nothing Andy and his smart-mouthed wife, Flo. Now, after 67 years in existence, Andy Capp has grown to be one of the most popular comic strips in the world. It is printed in over 1,500 newspapers in America and around the world, from Russia to Japan, Norway to Sri Lanka.'

Jane Robbins (born 1962) is the sculptor based in Shropshire. Working in bronze it was unveiled by Reg Smythe's widow Jean in 2007. Jane's career started in theatre and television making props and sets, but now mainly has commissioned work of figurative and portrait sculptures in bronze or resin, with some work for television. Her bronze sculptures are cast in mid-Wales. She was part of the pop group Prima Donna who came 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with Love Enough For Two.

It's ironic that Andy Capp is without his tab (cigarette) as it was considered to encourage smoking, but drinking a pint is OK. Notice how the froth spills over. His cap is always pulled over his forehead and you never see his eyes.

Lewis Hobson AKA Durham Spray Paints created the mural on the Pot House which is adjacent Andy Capp. There is an informative walk of his murals in the area where he paid homage to the cartoon on the nearby wall of an old munitions store near Pilot Pier. See Murals at the Headland, Hartlepool

Why not go and explore the other gems at the Headland like The Heugh or The Heugh Battery Museum where there are toilets and a nice tea shop.