please empty your brain below
Another English city ticked off! There can't be many (if any) still to visit?

dg writes: 3

JP | 24.02.25 - 7:33 a.m. | #

I am happy for you that your visit was more than a qualified success!

My first time involved a trip to the old Roker Park. Freezing cold, a gale blowing in from the North Sea and a 5-1 defeat. No redeeming features to alleviate my gloom and despair that day.

Kenneth Morton | 24.02.25 - 7:50 a.m. | #

What a delightful post. I've never been to Sunderland, but you certainly make it sound appealing to visit!

All Over 2a | Homepage | 24.02.25 - 8:30 a.m. | #

A valuable piece of reporting, thank you. I stopped off there almost exactly a year ago, also largely to tick off my largest unvisited city; but it was dismal weather, and I didn’t get quite the same vibe (although Seaburn was indeed impressive). What stood out was the remarkable Penshaw Monument on the SW edge of the city (but a car helps if heading that far out).

PhilSW11 | 24.02.25 - 8:38 a.m. | #

Sunderland is undergoing something of a renaissance with the centre reorintating towards the river Wear. Five years ago it look and felt different. There's plenty of interest to reward a second visit.

Rod | 24.02.25 - 8:40 a.m. | #

An interesting place, sad that so much was about what it used to do.

Still Anon | 24.02.25 - 9:02 a.m. | #

Grand Central's website isn't quite what I expected. Apart from not knowing how many trains a day they run (they say 5 despite the timetable clearly showing 6, as per the post), I've never seen so many words used to describe such a straightforward operation. Presumably it works for their target market.

Andrew S | 24.02.25 - 9:10 a.m. | #

My only experience of Sunderland similar to Kenneth's but a 1-0 win!

Chris | 24.02.25 - 9:14 a.m. | #

I thought there was a North East bylaw to prohibit any item on Sunderland being complete without using the term Mackem - the football fans, the local population, and the dialect - to contrast it with Geordie.

Frank F | 24.02.25 - 9:32 a.m. | #

Wow! Great post that brings back many mixed memories. I was born in Millfield, one of the less salubrious parts that you didn't visit. My family were associated with building ships and sailing in them and my early 1950s memories are mostly industrial - Doxfords shipyards, Joblings glass works and the sound of women heading home from Vaux's brewery in their noisy clogs. The highlights however are the beach at Seaburn, Roker Park (the actual park, not the footy ground) and the Walrus in the museum. In my day he had pride of place inside at the foot of the main staircase - rather imposing! We left when the shipyards were shedding jobs left, right and centre and headed for the delights of rural Essex. Great to see the walrus!

Colin L | 24.02.25 - 10:11 a.m. | #

Sunderland in the late 70's and early 80's was a busting, proud and prosperous place. The shopping streets said 'there's money here'. I find it rather sad now.

Can't believe you went to Roker and missed St Andrew’s.

dg writes: limited time

David B | 24.02.25 - 10:20 a.m. | #

So pleased you had a good experience. XX

Caroline | 24.02.25 - 10:21 a.m. | #

I visited Sunderland twice, in 1980 and 2012, discovering how unjustly it was sneered at by its neighbour to the north.

Hopefully next time you will get to see the suburban windmill on its northern fringe.

cau1khead | 24.02.25 - 10:32 a.m. | #

It seems not all in Sunderland is good news. From today's news.
[a story about rates of death from alcohol]

Mike | 24.02.25 - 10:46 a.m. | #

I always think of the Sunderland railway station as being the Birmingham New Street of the north-east.

Chris | 24.02.25 - 11:06 a.m. | #

I found Sunderland perfectly ok, but like 99% of visitors from outside the area (I'm guessing) I was primarily there for football reasons!

I didn't see all of the main Museum, as its Saturday hours are surprisingly short, closing at 4pm. I did wander up to Seaburn though. I missed St Peter's but further inland, Fulwell Mill is a nice photo stop.

Mikey C | 24.02.25 - 11:20 a.m. | #

Glad you enjoyed my mother’s birthplace. Spent many a childhood holiday there. Beach is fantastic if only there wasn’t a cold wind blowing off the North Sea. Even as a Londoner I’ve supported the football team through all their many ups and downs. ‘Haway the Lads’

Brian | 24.02.25 - 11:45 a.m. | #

Did u not visit the Nissan Car plant where ex footballer Clive Mendonca works?

Rachel | 24.02.25 - 12:35 p.m. | #

This is probably my favourite series on the blog – there are so many beautiful places to visit in the UK!

Ewan James | 24.02.25 - 1:24 p.m. | #

Sunderland, (should be) twinned with Corning, New York (historical glass production including oven-proof domestic wares)

dg writes: It's actually twinned with the slightly more important Washington DC.

MilesT | 24.02.25 - 1:59 p.m. | #

Thanks for this - have been considering a trip to Sunderland for some time to visit the magnificent Dun Cow pub - great to see that there are other things of interest to see!

James Matcham | 24.02.25 - 3:51 p.m. | #

James - I thought that I was the only one who'll visit somewhere new simply on the strength of there being an unusual or historic pub! The Dun Cow looks terrific, and worth the trip.

Frank F | 24.02.25 - 5:19 p.m. | #

I've added a photo of the very fine Dun Cow to my Flickr album.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 24.02.25 - 5:50 p.m. | #

I had been told that the wonderful Warrington Museum (still awaiting your visit) was the first to be founded under the Museums Act of 1845 which gave councils the power to establish rate-supported museums. But indeed it opened in 1848, thus two years later than Sunderland.

Mark | 24.02.25 - 6:07 p.m. | #

I've never really felt drawn to visit northern cities, but Sunderland looks rather lovely.

Cornish Cockney | 24.02.25 - 6:38 p.m. | #

OMG. Mention of Sunderland Empire brought back some memories. My father's work organised a group trip to see the Beatles there and he bought us all tickets. He hadn't a clue who they were. When they started their set and the girls started screaming he and my mum sat there shocked and dumfounded and I nearly died laughing.

Caroline | 24.02.25 - 7:10 p.m. | #

I drove through Sunderland once at midnight on a Saturday night. I was thinking "the buildings here are beautiful - why does it have such a poor reputation?" Then I saw a woman punching a man while a second man watched on holding her handbag. She punched him 10 times before he punched her back once, and then the handbag holder stepped in and broke it up. I think Sunderland's reputation is probably deserved.

Basil Jet | 24.02.25 - 8:32 p.m. | #

Sunderland is quite under-rated in my opinion. I've spent plenty of time there, visiting my in-laws although it has been a while since I was last there.

Stepping off a train at Sunderland's railway station, a long island platform buried under a 1960s development of shops, is not the most welcoming of arrivals. But it can only get better, as indeed it does. Starting with the animated light display along the wall facing the northbound platform.

Upstream from Monkwearmouth Bridge are two further bridges of note. Queen Alexandra Bridge used to carry a railway on a deck above the road. A little way beyond Queen Alexandra Bridge is the Northern Spire, a road bridge opened in 2018.

Next to the Stadium of Light, the National Aquatic Centre houses the only 50-metre swimming pool for many miles around.

Of the various districts of Sunderland, at least six share their names with parts of London - Barnes, Deptford, Farringdon, Fulwell, Hendon, Mill Hill.

There is a short film, "The Elephant Will Never Forget" which looks at the closure of London's last trams in 1952. The film includes one piece of footage, 8 minutes in, which I could swear is a horse tram crossing Monkwearmouth Bridge.

Malc M | 25.02.25 - 12:14 a.m. | #

My granny lived in Sunderland, so family holidays spent on Roker beach were the norm, getting there by tram initially, then bus, every one of which had Shop at Binns emblazoned across the front. The place can't be the same without Binns.

Betterbee | 25.02.25 - 9:35 a.m. | #











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