Sunderland

Understand

thumb | 300px | Bridges over the River Wear Sunderland grew up around the estuary of the River Wear when three medieval villages combined. Monkwearmouth on the north bank had a monastery from 674 AD; its abbot encouraged glass-making, founding an industry for the next 1300 years. The monastery was home to the Venerable Bede, who wrote that he was "ácenned on sundorlande" - born in a sundered or separate land of that monastery on the south bank. This became Sunderland and outgrew Monkwearmouth and the third settlement of Bishopwearmouth further upriver. Early industry was based on fishing, salt-panning, coal-mining, shipbuilding and breaking, glass-making, and sea trade. By the 19th century the conurbation was sprawling and squalid, and in 1831 it was the first place in Britain to be struck by the cholera pandemic, which inexorably spread across the nation. The three traditional parish administrations were overwhelmed and this was the prompt for creating the combined borough of Sunderland in 1835.

Shipbuilding was already declining in the Victorian era, and other industries crumbled in the 20th century. Sunderland has diversified, and regenerated the brownfield sites, but this remains a work in progress. It hasn't been able to re-launch itself as a destination city like Newcastle, unemployment is high, and in 2016 the city voted 61% in favour of Brexit. Geographically it was in County Durham until in 1974 the new metropolis of Tyne and Wear was created, also containing Newca…

Get in

thumb | 300px | Penshaw Monument

See

thumb | 300px | Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Seaburn the next beach north is sandy and a mile long. The water is every bit as cold as at Roker. half a mile north of the country park was built 1844-45 in memory of John Lambton (1792-1840), 1st Earl of Durham and first Governor General of Canada. He was fabulously wealthy from Durham coal but was a reformist Whig. The monument is based on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. Appropriately, that was the deity of metal-working, equally venerated by Athens' seething traffic and by the Nissan factory just outside Sunderland.

Do

thumb | 300px | Roker Pier What's on? Listen to Sun FM on 103.4 FM, or read Sunderland Echo (evenings). Empire Cinema is in Sunniside leisure complex on Lambton St. were promoted in 2025 and now play soccer in the Premier League, the top tier. Their 49,000 all-seater Stadium of Light is just north of the River Wear: in 2025 it hosted games in the Women's Rugby Union World Cup. Sunderland women's soccer team play in their Championship or second tier, with home games at Eppleton Colliery Ground in Hetton-le-Hole. is an open area, good for strolling and dog-walking. The area consists of Green Hill and Rocky Hill and surrounding land, and has a nature reserve. Golf: to the south are Houghton-Le-Spring GC, Sharpley Golf and Seaham GC. West is Wearside GC, and north is Boldon GC. Sunderland Food & Drink Festival is held in June in Keel Square, High Street West and Market Square. Festival of Light is a light show held in Mowbray Park during November.

Buy

Bridges Shopping Centre stretches west from the railway station. It has some 80 shops including Boots, TK Maxx, Iceland and Tesco Metro. The Centre has toilets and a quiet room.

Drink

thumb | 300px | Bowl displayed in National Glass Centre Many folk head into Newcastle for nightlife, but Sunderland is cheaper.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Sunderland Minster Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.

Connect

As of Dec 2021, Sunderland has 5G from EE and Three, and 4G from O2 and Vodafone.

Stay safe

Local football club Sunderland has a very heated rivalry with Newcastle United, dubbed the Tyne and Wear Derby. Be sure not to wear a Newcastle United shirt when you are in Sunderland, especially on matchdays, as it could result in you getting singled out for harassment or even violence by local fans.

Go next

The city of Newcastle upon Tyne is a 30 min metro ride away. South bank of the Tyne is Gateshead, with Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. South Shields has a reconstructed Roman fort. Wallsend has a Roman fort at the beginning of Hadrian's Wall. Washington has a pit museum and George Washington's family ancestral home. Durham has a well-preserved medieval centre around its magnificent cathedral.