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Top Attractions in Sunderland

Hylton Castle

Hylton Castle is a ruined stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century. The castle underwent major changes to its interior and exterior in the 18th century and it remained the principal seat of the Hylton family until the death of the last "baron" in 1746. It was then Gothicised but neglected until 1812, when it was revitalised by a new owner. Standing empty again until the 1840s, it was briefly used as a school until it was purchased again in 1862. The site passed to a local coal company in the early 20th century and was taken over by the state in 1950. One of the castles main features is the range of heraldic devices found mainly on the west façade, which have been retained from the castles original construction. They depict the coats of arms belonging to local gentry and peers of the late 14th to early 15th centuries and provide an approximate date of the castles reconstruction from wood to stone. Today, the castle is owned by English Heritage, a charity which manages the historical environment of England. The surrounding parkland is maintained by a community organisation. The castle and its chapel are protected as a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. As of 2008, a survey is being carried out to determine the future of the site.

Ryhope Engines Museum

The Ryhope Engines Museum is a visitor attraction in the Ryhope suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. The Grade II* listed building is the most visited man-made landmark in Ryhope and is based at The Ryhope Pumping Station, operational for 100 years before closing in 1967. The volunteer-run museum contains two Victorian beam engines, which are kept in working order by members of the Ryhope Engines Trust. The site is owned by Northumbrian Water, successors to the Sunderland South Shields Water Company which built the complex in the 1860s. The engines are a near identical pair of double-acting compound rotative beam engines by the local North East firm R W Hawthorn of Newcastle possibly the finest pair of compound beam engines in Great Britain. Each beam weighs 22 tons and each flywheel 18 tons. Both engines can be seen fully operational and in steam on various weekends and bank holidays each year. The museum also contains three 1908 Lancashire boilers, a blacksmiths forge, a waterwheel, numerous steam engines and pumps, a replica plumbers shop, and many items associated with waterworks. In addition, visitors arriving in the engine house are now able to see to the bottom of the 250-foot well shaft by means of a viewing panel inserted in the floor.

Roker Park

Roker Park is a recreation park in the Roker area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The land on which the park stands was donated by Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet and the Church Commissioners, and opened on 23 June 1880. The park is roughly an upside down reversed L shape. It is bounded by Park Parade to the south, Roker Park Terrace to the east, Roker Park Road to the west and Side Cliff Road to the north. The northern part of the park is the widest and fronts onto Roker beach via a ravine, which passes under a wooden footbridge. In the centre of the park is a large freeform boating lake which is used for remote-controlled model boating. In the northwest corner of the park is a model narrow gauge railtrack which was built in the 1970s. There are two bowling greens as well as tennis and multi-purpose sports courts.

Stadium of Light

The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England and home to Sunderland A.F.C.. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the sixth-largest capacity of any English football stadium and the fifth-largest Premier League stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. home matches. According to Sir Bob Murray then chairman of Sunderland F.C. the name Stadium of Light "was chosen for two main reasons; namely as an ever-lasting tribute to the region’s mine-workers and proud industrial heritage and in the expectation that the stadium would be a guiding light in the future. The name is very much a symbolic link to the thousands of miners and Sunderland supporters that emerged from the darkness and into the light every day when they returned to the surface after working in the mine." A Davy lamp monument stands at the entrance to reflect the coal mining industry that brought prosperity to the town. As well as hosting Sunderland games, the stadium has hosted two matches for the England national football team, as well as one England under-20 football team match. With an original capacity of 42,000, it was expanded in 2002 to seat 49,000, and its simple design is expected to allow for redevelopments up to an eventual capacity of 66,000. The attendance record at the Stadium of Light is 48,353 set on 13 April 2002, when Sunderland played Liverpool with the visitors running out 1-0 winners. Along with hosting football matches, the stadium has played host to performers such as Rihanna, Oasis, Take That, Kings of Leon and Coldplay. The ground also holds conference and banqueting suites, the Black Cats Bar, and a club shop selling Sunderland merchandise.

St Andrew's Church

St Andrew's, Roker is an Anglican parish church in Sunderland, England. It is recognised as one of the finest churches of the first half of the twentieth century and the masterpiece of Edward Schroeder Prior. The design of St Andrew's drew together many of the strings of Prior's philosophy and approach to design and building. Three years before commencing St Andrew's, Prior had written that the architect's first purpose was to provide; "a dignified distinct building dedicated to the service of the Church. Church architecture, least of all, has been able to go beyond the trivial efforts of traditional picturesqueness; least of all our building it has been monumental". At St Andrew's, Prior achieved a monumental church free from style. His experiments in structure, concern for materials and means of building reached their apogee at St Andrew's. The church was listed Grade I in 1950.

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity is a church in Sunderland. It was opened in 1719 as the church for the newly created Parish of Sunderland. It is a listed building and is one of the oldest buildings in the East End of Sunderland. It is unknown who built the church, but what is known for sure is that Daniel Newcombe who was appointed rector and William Etty were involved in some of its design. A plaque marking its Grade I listed building status credits Etty as the designer. In its early years, the building was also home to the Select Vestrymen — in effect the town council — and the library and the mechanical fire pump. The church is no longer used for regular worship. This grade 1 listed building is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust and is being restored with support from The Heritage Lottery Fund and other funders.

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton quarry. It was established in 1846, in the Athenaeum Building on Fawcett Street, the first municipally funded museum in the country outside of London. The first recorded fine art acquisition was commissioned by the Sunderland Corporation, a painting of the opening of the new South Dock in 1850. It is possibly the first time that an artwork was commissioned by a town council. In 1879, the Museum moved to a new larger building next to Mowbray Park including a library and winter garden based on the model of the Crystal Palace. U.S. President Ulysses Grant was in attendance at the laying of the foundation stone by Alderman Samuel Storey in 1877. The building opened in 1879. During World War II, Winter Garden was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941 and was later demolished with a 1960s extension taking its place, but in 2001 a lottery funded refurbishment of the Museum created a new Winter Garden extension and improved facilities. The Winter Gardens contain over 2,000 flowers and plants. In 2003, the Museum was recognised as the most attended outside London. The Museum contains a large collection of the locally made Sunderland Lustreware pottery. Other highlights of the Museum are a stuffed Lion which was acquired in 1879, the remains of a Walrus brought back from Siberia in the 1880s and the first Nissan car to be made in Sunderland. Also featured are the skeletal remains of a male human being. The library moved in 1995 to the new City Library and Arts Centre on Fawcett Street . The relocation left more space for museum exhibitions. The new City Library Arts Centre also houses the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, renowned as one of the leading forums for emerging artists in the North of England. L.S. Lowry described his discovery of Sunderland in 1960, after which it became his second home: ‘One day I was travelling south from Tyneside and I realised this was what I had always been looking for.’ Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a collection surpassed only by Salford and Manchester.

WWT Washington

WWT Washington is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Washington, Tyne and Wear, North East England. The site is part of James Steel Park. Established in 1975 its wildlife includes swans, geese, ducks, and a flock of Chilean flamingos. WWT works towards the conservation of wetlands and have a successful breeding program for some of the worlds most endangered wildfowl. Outside the main park there is a nature reserve with hides to watch the wildlife, and dragonfly lakes in which large species of dragonfly live along with newts, frogs and toads. The park sells bags of seed which can be used to get an up-close and personal encounter with most of their birds whilst feeding them. The park holds the following species: Hawaiian Goose Baers Pochard Ringed teal Eider Common crane Chilean flamingo Andean goose White-faced whistling duck Red-breasted goose Mute swan Black swan Black necked swan Spur-winged goose

Sunderland Synagogue

The Sunderland Synagogue is a former synagogue building in Sunderland, England. The synagogue, on Ryhope Road, was designed by architect Marcus Kenneth Glass and completed in 1928. It is the last surviving synagogue to be designed by Glass. The synagogue was listed as a Grade II historic structure in 1999. The congregation ceased meeting in 2006. The building is owned by a Jewish charitable trust which offered the building for sale or lease in 2009. Businessman George Fraser bought the synagogue in 2010. Fraser intends to convert the building into 12 luxury apartments whilst retaining the exterior but this has not yet been approved. Councillor Mel Spedding said that the planned conversion was considered to be inappropriate, and a planning application for it had not been received. Spedding stated that he would be happy to discuss the building's future with the owner. Architectural historian Sharman Kadish describes the synagogue's colorful design as a blend of Byzantine revival and "cinematic art deco style." The exterior is an Art Deco interpretation of Byzantine style, with an oversized, arched entrance, paired arched doorways, polychrome brickwork and basket capitals. Kadish describes the interior as "spanned by a deep barrel vault over the central aisle, which was originally painted to imitate a star-spangled sky. The gallery runs around three sides carried on slender iron columns with palmette capitals. The plasterwork Ark canopy is highly decorative, painted and gilded. It is classical in form but features decoration of Islamic and Byzantine origin, especially the cushion capitals to the columns and the chevron patterns on the shafts ..." The synagogue replaced the original Adath Yeshurun on Moor Steret in the East End, which was open from 1862 to 1928. It became Sunderland's main place of Jewish worship once the former Sunderland Beth Hamedresh, on the corner of Mowbray Road and The Oaks West, closed in 1984.

Roker

Roker is a tourist resort and affluent area of Sunderland, North East England, bounded on the south by the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, on the east by the North Sea, to the west by Fulwell and on the north by Seaburn. It is administered as part of the City of Sunderland. The majority of the houses in Roker are terraced or semi-detached. Further west, to the part bordering Fulwell, are cul-de-sacs with semi-detached bungalows, these being owned mainly by members of Roker's sizeable elderly population. Roker was known worldwide for being home to Roker Park, home of Sunderland A.F.C. for ninety-nine years until 1997. In addition to Seaburn seafront, the coast at Roker seafront plays host to Sunderland International Airshow, the biggest free airshow in Europe, which takes place each year, usually over the last weekend in July. On the site of Sunderland AFC's former stadium is a small housing estate, its street names all being references to the football club (Clockstand Close, Goalmouth Close, etc.). The streets in between Roker Baths Road and Roker Avenue are all named after members of William Ewart Gladstone's cabinet (Gladstone, Hartington, Forster, Bright, Stansfield, and so on). On Roker Terrace (Roker's main street) are exclusive apartments and hotels which overlook the seafront.

Hendon

Hendon is an eastern area of the City of Sunderland in North East England, the location of much heavy industry and Victorian terraces and high-rise residential tower blocks. Shipbuilding in Sunderland began in Hendon with the opening of a shipyard by Thomas Menvill in 1346. The old East End of Sunderland was home to barracks until the 1900s. They were located on the south side near the south docks, near present-day Warren Court (formerly known as Warren Street). The first aluminium bascule bridge in the world, spans the junction of Hendon and Hudson Docks. It is a listed structure. The Victoria Hall Disaster occurred in the area on 16 June 1883 when 183 children died during a crush in a theatre, while running down the stairs in search of free toys. It remains the worst stampede disaster in British history. The area was home to Sunderland AFC's first ground, The Blue House Field. The club was founded at the nearby Hendon Board School in 1879 by James Allen. Partly on its site now is the Raich Carter Sports Centre, named after a famous footballer born in the area. Hendon contains the primary schools of Hudson Road and Valley Road. It is home to many shops along Villette Road such as Gregg's. Some main roads in Hendon are Villette Road, Commercial Road, Hendon Road, Gray Road, Mowbray Road and Hendon Valley Road. The "long streets" in Hendon (Cairo Street, Hastings Street, Canon Cockin Street, St Leonard's Street, Percy Terrace and Hunter Terrace) are very long, consisting of rows of Terraced Houses and even stretching into a new area: Grangetown. A notable figure from Hendon was Jack Crawford, the British naval hero who nailed the Union Flag to the fallen mast during the Battle of Camperdown, to avoid insinuating surrender.

Sunderland Aquatic Centre

Sunderland Aquatic Centre is an indoor sports complex next to the Stadium of Light in the city of Sunderland, England. It contains an Olympic-size swimming pool, a diving pool and a gymnasium. It is the only full Olympic-standard pool in North East England between Glasgow and Leeds. The centre was opened on 18 April 2008 with a fireworks and lights display. Anne, Princess Royal visited the Aquatic Centre on 22 January 2009 and gave it a second opening ceremony. A third ceremony was held in the presence of the Mayor of Sunderland Mary Smith later that year. It replaced the swimming pool and gymnasium facilities at the Crowtree Leisure Centre which was opened in 1978 by Prince Charles. The pool at Crowtree had a tropical beach style with a slide, two diving pools and a wave machine, and was not an Olympic-standard pool. The centre was closed to the general public in October 2011 and demolished in 2013. On 16 June 2012, the Olympic torch was carried through the Aquatic Centre as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay.

Bishopwearmouth

Bishopwearmouth is an area in Sunderland, North East England. Bishopwearmouth was one of the original three settlements on the banks of the river Wear that merged to form modern Sunderland. The settlement was formed in 930 when Athelstan of England granted the lands to the Bishop of Durham. The settlement on the opposite side of the river, Monkwearmouth, had been founded 250 years earlier. The lands on the south-side of the river became known as Bishopwearmouth, a parish that covered around twenty square miles, encompassing settlements such as Ryhope and Silksworth — now part of the modern Sunderland urban area. Within the parish was another settlement, Sunderland, which was a small fishing port at the mouth of the river. Over the centuries, the port grew in both importance and size, and in 1719 was made into a parish independent from Bishopwearmouth. Bishopwearmouth Christ Church was declared redundant on 11 February 1998, and later sold to become a Sikh temple and community centre. The church of Bishopwearmouth, St. Michael's, became Sunderland Minster in 1998. Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, a military leader during the Indian Mutiny, was born in Bishopwearmouth on 5 April 1795, as was Joseph Swan, famous for the invention of the incandescent light bulb, on 31 October 1828.
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