Sunderland

Sunderland is a city in Tyne and Wear in northeast England, with a population of 171,000 in 2021. It's industrial, but has lost traditional trades such as shipbuilding, and is still re-inventing itself. The National Glass Centre celebrates the town's former status as a prominent glass-making community.

Understand
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 Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead.

To the outsider, the local accent is Geordie (which extends from industrial Northumberland down into Durham), but it's a shibboleth to say so. Since the 1980s the term "Mackem" is sometimes used by Sunderland folk to describe themselves. The difference in dialect is subtle: the most intensive study of it was in the 1970s when a taped phone call led police to believe the "Yorkshire Ripper" serial killer (Peter Sutcliffe 1946-2020) was from hereabouts. He was actually from Yorkshire, and with benefit of hindsight, perhaps his nickname was a clue.

Famous people from Sunderland include the actor James Bolam (b 1935), the vet and author James Herriot (pen name of James Alfred Wight, 1916–1995), the explorer and archaeologist Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), singer Bryan Ferry (b 1945), pioneer railway developer George Hudson (1800-1871), goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (b 1994), football player and manager Bob Paisley (1919-1996), cricketer Bob Willis (1949-2019), cookery author Jane Grigson (1928-1990) and monastic author the Venerable Bede (672-735). Those who stayed awhile include the artist LS Lowry, author Lewis Carroll, Lola Montez (it's best to draw a veil over her lurid career) and astronomer William Herschel, who didn't find Uranus here but fortunately kept looking.

By plane
Newcastle Airport has flights from many European cities plus Dubai, as well as domestic services and summer Mediterranean resorts. It's the terminus of the Metro Green Line, which runs all the way to Sunderland, see below.

Teesside Airport only has regular flights from Aberdeen, Amsterdam, London City and Belfast City. It has poor public transport and is further to drive.

By train
Direct trains from London King's Cross are operated by Grand Central. They run every 3 hours or so and take 3 hr 40 min via York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartlepool. An off-peak single advance fare might be under £20.

Otherwise, travel on the frequent LNER trains from London King's Cross to Newcastle upon Tyne then change for the Metro, see below. It takes no longer, and you pay a more realistic £60.

Northern trains run hourly from Hexham via Corbridge, Blaydon, MetroCentre, Newcastle upon Tyne and Heworth to Sunderland, and continue to Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough.

By Metro
Sunderland is on the southern part of the Tyne & Wear Metro Green Line.

The Green Line runs from Newcastle Airport via Newcastle City Centre, Gateshead and Heworth to Sunderland, and continues to the University City Campus and South Hytton. Reckon a 55-minute ride from the airport and 30 min from Newcastle. Change in Newcastle city centre for the north Tyne towns of Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth or Whitley Bay.

Sunderland is in Fare Zone C, so from the airport or Newcastle city centre, you need an all-zone ticket. An adult single in 2022 is £3.90 and a day ticket is £5.70.

By bus


National Express runs every 2 hours or so from London Victoria, taking 7-8 hours via Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Leeds and Middlesbrough, and continuing to Newcastle. Some services involve a change in Leeds; a single from London might be £40.

Megabus runs 3 or 4 times a day, taking almost 10 hours from London Victoria via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Middlesbrough, for about £25.

By road
From the south follow A1(M) to Junction 62 near Durham then head northeast on A690. Stay on this for town centre and south. For the north bank, use A19 to come onto A1231.

From the north bypass Newcastle to the east via A19 and Tyne Tunnel (toll). (You could also bypass to the west on A1(M), joining A1231 at Washington.) Leave onto A1231 Wessington Way along the north bank of the Tees. Either stay on the north bank for Stadium of Light, or cross the river on A1231 for town centre.

By Metro
For local destinations within Fare Zone C you only need a one zone ticket, which in 2022 is £2.30 for a single and £3.60 for a day-ticket. On the Metro this covers from Seaburn to Stadium of Light, St Peters (for National Glass Centre), Sunderland (for railway station), Park Lane (for Interchange bus station), University City Campus, Millfield, Pallion and South Hylton.

By bus
Buses 700 / 702 loops every 15 min from the Interchange south to the University City Campus and Royal Hospital, then north from Interchange to the National Glass Centre, St Peters and Stadium of Light.

Go North East Bus 2 crosses the city every 30 min from Silksworth via the Interchange to High Barnes and Washington.

Bus 8 runs west every 30 min to Barmston, Washington, Chester-le-Street, Beamish and Stanley.

Bus 9 runs north every 30 min via Boldon to Jarrow.

Bus 20 runs every 30 min from Durham to Houghton-Le-Spring, the Interchange and South Shields.

Bus 56 runs north every 15 min to Gateshead and Newcastle.

Bus 60 goes south every 15 min to Seaham.

By taxi
Taxis are white, with ranks at the Interchange and railway stations.

See

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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

 * 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 2022 and now play soccer in the Championship, England's second tier. Their 49,000 all-seater Stadium of Light is just north of the River Wear. The women's team play in their own 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 next held 23-25 June 2023 in Keel Square, High Street West and Market Square.
 * Sunderland Airshow, Europe's largest free airshow, was held above Roker seafront on the last weekend of July, but in 2023 the city council cancelled the event as part of its efforts to be carbon neutral.
 * 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 next held 23-25 June 2023 in Keel Square, High Street West and Market Square.
 * Sunderland Airshow, Europe's largest free airshow, was held above Roker seafront on the last weekend of July, but in 2023 the city council cancelled the event as part of its efforts to be carbon neutral.

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

 * Many folk head into Newcastle for nightlife, but Sunderland is cheaper.




 * Distillery: Poetic License make gin, vodka and liqueurs. They're on Roker seafront near the pier: no tours, but they have an on-site pub.

Sleep

 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * Seaburn B&Bs include Mayfield and Lemonfield.
 * 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.