Sunderland - A Town of Ships and Coal
Sunderland History
SUNDERLAND
Washington
Gateshead
Newcastle
South Shields
TYNE AND WEAR
54°54'N  1°22'W
'Kretinga upon Wear'
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Map of Tyne and Wear in North-Eastern England
Sunderland is an industrial city and port in Tyne and Wear on the north-eastern coast of England. The original 7th century CE settlement combines three sites - Monkwearmouth, Bishopwearmouth and a fishing village called Sunderland, located toward the mouth of the river Wear (modern day East End) that was granted a charter in 1179. Over the centuries, Sunderland grew as a port specialising in ship-building and trading coal and salt.

Indeed, Sunderland was hailed as the 'Greatest Shipbuilding Town in the World'.  Ships were built on the Wear from at least 1346 and by the mid-eighteenth century Sunderland was one of the chief shipbuilding towns in the country.  To allow the passage of high masted vessels into the river Wear, the
Wearmouth Bridge was built in 1796, at the instigation of Rowland Burdon MP.  This was the second iron bridge built after Ironbridge, but over twice as long and only three-quarters the weight and at the time of building, it was the biggest single span bridge in the world. The iron bridge was rebuilt in 1859 by Robert Stephenson and an adjoining railway bridge was added in 1879.
The Wearmouth Bridge
The Mackems
A person born in Sunderland is a Mackem! The nickname derives from the term "Mak'em and Tak'em" used by rival Tyneside shipbuilders from Newcastle to describe their counterparts on the Wear. The term was originally meant to be derogatory, in that Sunderland made the ships, then the richer world took them away.

However, many believe the name originates from the "Blue Macs", a Scottish army barracked in Sunderland during the English civil war. In 1644 the Blue Macs massacred the royalist forces of the Marquess of Newcastle at Panns Field in Sunderland.
Sunderland developed into a town with a highly profitable business community, through the combined effects of the Industrial Revolution, the growth of the railways, the development of its harbour; its proximity to the sea; and being within 4 miles of the exposed part of the Durham coalfields. Thus between 1851 and the end of 1856, the quantity of coal exported from the Wear rose by 56 percent, and the export of coal increased to over 5 million tons annually from 1904 to 1929. The Port of Sunderland was significantly expanded in the 1850s with the construction of Hudson Dock. Between 1939 and 1945 the Wear yards launched 245 merchant, a quarter of the merchant tonnage produced in the UK at this period. With the downturn in demand the shipyards slowly closed, the last in 1988.   Furthermore, the centuries old coal-mining heritage of the Durham coalfield collapsed as the result of slipping demand following World War II causing mass unemployment. The last coal mine Wearmouth Colliery closed in 1994 and was rebuilt as the Stadium of Light, the new home of AFC Sunderland. The decline of the traditional industries required solutions and the last two decades have been marked by the growth of new industries based on electronics, chemicals, and paper manufacture.

Sunderland AFC
River Wear
Hylton Castle Sunderland
Lighthouse
Sunderland Empire
Sunderland Aerial
Stadium of Light                   River Wear                      Hylton Castle                   Roker Lighthouse              Empire               Aerial View
Sunderland was heavily bombed during World War II. As a result, much of the town centre was rebuilt in an undistinguished concrete utility style typical of the fifties and sixties. Towards the end of the twentieth century the newly formed city, that joined Sunderland with some of the surrounding towns, created a conurbation of 280000 people. 

The city was rejuvenated by the building of new industries, the opening of a university and the National Glass Centre. Still, many fine old buildings remain. Religious buildings include Holy Trinity built in 1719 for an independent Sunderland; St. Michaels's Church, constructed as Bishopwearmouth Parish Church and now known as Sunderland Minster and St. Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, dating partially to 674 CE, that was part of the original monastic complex from which Sunderland was established.
Sunderland Municipal Coats of Arms
pre 1949, 1948-1974, at present

Nil Desperandum Auspice Deo (Never Despair, Trust In God)
The Penshaw Monument
The Penshaw Monument, the iconic landmark of Sunderland, is located on a hill in the west of the city. It was built in 1844 to honour John George Lambton, First Earl of Durham ('Radical Jack') who played a major part in the passing of the Electoral Reform Act of 1832. The Monument was modelled in the form of a Greek temple, the temple of Theseus in Athens.
penshaw_momument2
Penshaw Monument
HolyTrinity - Sunderland

HolyTrinity - Sunderland

Sunderland Minster

Sunderland Minster

St. Peter's - Sunderland

St. Peter's - Sunderland

Map of Sunderland, 1817

Map of Sunderland, 1817

River Wear, 19th Century

River Wear, 19th Century

River Wear, 21st Century

River Wear, 21st Century

Copyright © 2007-2014      Jon Seligman.  All Rights Reserved.
Sunderland COA - pre1949
Sunderland COA - 1949-1974
Borough of Sunderland COA
Cast Iron Bridge - Wear
Wearmouth Bridge
Wear Bridge
Sunderland Bridges