Historical Background
Birthplace of the Venerable Bede, 'sunderlonde' or the 'land which is separate' (Meikle and Newman, 2007) grew from a small fishing village at the mouth of the River Wear to 'the biggest shipbuilding town in the world.' (Brett and Clark, 2005).
The first record of shipbuilding in Old Sunderland appeared as early as 1346 when Thomas Menville opened the first shipyard.
The establishment of the salt industry in the 16th century prevented the small town from disappearing. The salt industry gave way to the coal trade with shipments made from the port to London and overseas.
As Old Sunderland developed, the area quickly became overcrowded and the town's merchants started building south along Church Street in 1710.
The 18th century marked a turning point when a new parish called Holy Trinity Church was built on the Town Moor in 1719. Old Sunderland was recognized as an important trade centre by the government when the River Wear Commission was established two years earlier.
For 200 years the Commissioners improved the port and river by deepening the channel, building piers and docks to make way for all the ships entering the port. Old Sunderland also reached its peak as a great industrial town in the 18th and 19th centuries with the expansion of the shipbuilding, coal-mining, glass-making and pottery-making industries.
As the port expanded, the town moved westward along the High Street connecting Old Sunderland and Bishopwearmouth (today's city centre).
The first Wearmouth Bridge was built in 1796 which connected Monkwearmouth on the North bank to Bishopwearmouth south of the river. The connection of the three medieval settlements created the City of Sunderland.
Fawcett Street developed as a direct result of the bridge's completion. The growing middle class built terraces and businesses on either side of the new street. By the mid-19th century, Fawcett Street became a symbol of Sunderland's prosperity when it became the city's commercial centre.
As the traditional industries began to decline, so too did Old Sunderland, and business continued to move west.
The Luftwaffe (the German air force) targeted the city during the Second World War because of its status as a major shipbuilding town. The air raids left many parts of the city heavily damaged, particularly the East End. Despite the damage, Sunderland built hundreds of merchant and naval vessels for the war effort. Old Sunderland never fully recovered after the war and the last shipyard was closed in 1988.
Come and explore Sunderland's past through our Historic High Streets Heritage Walk.
Step this way to begin your journey
References
Sunderland and its origins: Monks to mariners. 2007. Maureen M Meikle, Christine M Newman. ISBN 9781860774799
Sunderland: The biggest shipbuilding town in the world. 2005. Andrew Clark, Alan Brett. ISBN: 9781899560974
