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Local History Newsletter ‘From the past, we reach out to the Spring Term Issue 2021 present and to the future.’ In this newsletter, the Academy History Department hope to educate our community on the rich tapestry that is ’s history.

To many of us, when we think of studying history we think of the rise and fall of empires, great wars and battles. Although history’s bigger picture is given by these studies, it is worthwhile to remember that those major events we learn about were made up of individuals, families and communities that all played their part in shaping and being shaped by history.

In Sunderland, history is all around us. So Station 1971 much so, that we quite often miss what is right in front of ours eyes!

Want to know more? You can find shelves full of local history at the newly refurbished Fulwell Library, on Dene Lane. The library will reopen it’s doors on Monday 12th April. Now more than ever, it is so important to support the local libraries in our community. You can also pick up a paper copy of this newsletter from Fulwell Library from Monday 29th March onwards. 1962 Did You Know? Did You Know? Did You Know? On his world tour in the 1870s, ex US President Ulysses S. Grant visited Sunderland. Whilst here in 1877, he oversaw the laying of the first stone in the building of the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. He arrived into the city via Monkwearmouth train station.

The Borrowdale, the second ever ship to take British convicted criminals to a penal colony Australia in 1787, was built in Sunderland two years prior.

Although we are famous for our vast mining empire, the only reason we began mining coal in the first place was to help our first big export… ! Coal was needed to heat the salt pans on Pann's Bank in the East End, evaporating the sea water and leaving behind salt for the locals to sell. THE LOCAL HISTORY OF MONKWEARMOUTH AND SURROUNDING AREAS Sunderland is now believed to be a Roman town, after archaeologists found five stone anchors in the , near . Historians are already aware of Roman forts in Chester-Le-Street, further up the river.

If correct, this could imply that Sunderland has been a bustling port for over 2,000 years! The artefacts have been taken to Durham University for further investigation.

At one point, Sunderland had one of the deepest coal mines in the world and was shipping coal from 1,590 feet below the surface from Wearmouth Colliery in Monkwearmouth. The conditions down the pit were no better than any other.

Often families were too poor to send their children to school. In the North East, many parents knew their boys would have no other choice than to follow in their fathers and grandfathers footsteps and become coal miners when they were old enough. Many thought preparing them for this from a young age would actually help the children.

Unfortunately, the mines were dark, filthy and dangerous. Today we now that the coal dust would have caused long lasting damage to the workers’ lungs. This would have been even worse for children as it would sometimes stop their lungs from properly forming. Infants made up 1/5 of the workforce in Sunderland pits. About 15% of Monkwearmouth’s work force was under 13 years old.

STREET NAME MEANINGS – Stansfield Street, Roker – Named after James Field Stanfield (1749 – 1824), the actor turned Slave Trade abolitionist, who lived in Sunderland for a short period of time. Horatio Street, Roker – After the successful battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, many streets were named after the UK victories. Lord Nelson, first name Horatio, also has many a street named after him in cities and towns across . Street, Roker – One of many streets named after the Sunderland saint, Bede Street remembers the Anglo-Saxon Christian scholar who lived at St Peter’s Monastery in Monkwearmouth. The Venerable Bede is often referred to as the father of English History, due to his extensive writings and teachings. Goalmouth Close, Clockstand Close, Promotion Close & Midfield Drive, Roker – Built on the land of the old Stadium, these newer style houses all have SAFC themed names. Our Community Our pupils wanted an opportunity to hear real stories from Sunderland residents who had seen the industrial town change into the metropolitan city it is today. Four residents at Glenholme Care Home kindly obliged and sent us some beautiful memories of the Sunderland they remember. Walter Shadforth, 90. Audrey Clark, 86. What is your earliest memory? What is your earliest My earliest memory is going to school. I think I would memory? have been about four or five years old. I always loved I was about 10 years old and school so these are happy memories for me my friends and I watched a German plane crash at What part of Sunderland did you grow up in and has it Southwick. My friends and I changed much over the years? headed over to the crash site I grew up in on Ancona Street. It was a very busy to see if we could get any place to live. It was right next to the biggest , souvenirs of shrapnel from where my dad worked as an engineer. There was always the crashed plane. This made plenty of work available. There were also factories and us late for school! The Head Master, Mr Davison was Sunderland Forge; all of which are no longer there! Apart waiting for us in the foyer as he knew where we had from the shopping arcade and the houses, nothing is been! We all got the cane for being late! really the same now!

What part of Sunderland did you grow up in and has it changed much over the years? I was brought up in Southwick and I was born in Stoney Lane above the cobbles shop. Although Southwick Green is the same; all the shops have changed and the Savoy Cinema is no longer there. The riverside used to be full of shipyards and Sunderland Colliery but these are no longer there either. My house backed onto the train lines which linked the other mines such as Hylton and Did you enjoy your time at school? Monkwearmouth. The train lines are where the A1231 I loved school! I went to Pallion School. I just always loved motorway is now. learning and discovering new things. Did you enjoy your time at school? What was your first job out of school? I did enjoy school, apart from occasionally getting the I went into an office to do office work. I can’t even cane! I managed to do my work well and I enjoyed remember the name of the office because it was such a learning new things. I wasn’t very keen on algebra! long time ago! I did enjoy the office work but I went onto What was your first job out of school? work in the factories because the money was much I got my first job at JL Thompson which was working in better there. an office. It was a government backed apprenticeship. If you could give your teenage-self any advice, what If you could give your teenage-self any advice, what would it be? would it be? To keep working hard and you will do well. To always To always work as hard. It doesn’t matter what school have a good attitude and to look after your family. you go to, you can always get a good job! Margaret Dixon, 86. What is your earliest memory? Our Community When I was growing up I lived Do you have any relatives or neighbours that you in Bond Street and my Dad would like to interview for our Summer 2021 worked at Wearmouth newsletter? If so, email Miss Davey before June to Colliery. I can remember sitting have your stories and pictures printed! on the step waiting for my Dad to return home from his shift. I Mary Richardson, 85. think I was only about three What is your earliest years old. memory? What part of Sunderland did you grow up in and has it I can remember a changed much over the years? I was raised in Bond Christmas morning Street which was in Southwick. It hasn’t changed much when I was opening all as all the buildings and houses still look the same. The my presents. I couldn’t only thing that has changed is that the Colliery isn’t there believe they were for any-more. me and asked my mother ‘what time do I Did you enjoy your time at school? have to give them back?’ I think I must have been about Yes, I liked going to school. I was always in the top four or five years old. classes. I went to Grange Park School then went onto What part of Sunderland did you grow up in and has it Monkwearmouth School. changed much over the years? I grew up in Roker. It has changed a lot over the years. I What was your first job out of school? lived in Mulgrove Street which isn’t even there anymore! I worked as a Saturday Girl at Joplings. I got employed as I lived very close to Thompson’s on the my friend who worked there, was leaving for full-time riverside. I didn’t need an alarm clock as the sound of the employment elsewhere. I worked on the handbag men working would wake me up at 7.00am every morning. As you can imagine, there are no shipyards counter which I really enjoyed. I worked there now. The only thing I can think of that is still the same is throughout the summer holidays before I started college. St. Peter’s Church. I had to give my job up though to fully concentrate on my studies. Mr Westerby gave me a fantastic reference Did you enjoy your time at school? when I left Joblings. After I finished college I became a I liked school very much. I was clever and I was very full-time teacher and this was my career until I retired. interested in learning. I attended Thomas Street School, which is no longer there. I then went onto If you could give your teenage-self any advice, what Monkwearmouth Grammar School. would it be? To not worry as much! I was a terrible worrier especially What was your first job out of school? about my studies and it would even keep me awake at My first job when I left school was at Central Laundry night! where my mother worked as a cleaner. I worked in the Monkwearmouth Grammar School office where I did various office jobs and I helped Badge and a classroom in 1961 organise the wages. I attended night-school to learn short-hand typing to help me in my job. I was already very good at maths and numbers so this helped me when I was sorting out the wages. I paid for the night classes out of my own money. I didn’t mind this because it helped me with my job opportunities in the future.

If you could give your teenage-self any advice, what would it be? To stick in, do your work and don’t be scared to ask questions!

Thank you so much to the staff at Glenholme Care Home for sending us these amazing stories! InWearmoutheach newsletter, we will focus on one of the three that our house groups are named after: the Wearmouth , the and the newly built Spire Bridge. In Sunderland, our bridges tell stories of industry and innovation. They’re reminders that we were once one of the most important in the . Everything from salt, coal and ships themselves were exported from Sunderland via the mouth of the river Wear. Although the bridge as we know it today is not the original, built in 1796, the is the oldest of the Wear crossings. By the late 18th Century, Sunderland was the largest ship building town in the world. Thanks to the Sunderland Parliamentarians fighting the Royalist Newcastle in the , Sunderland were granted a monopoly on in the North East. The town continued to flourish and by 1790 was building an estimated nineteen ships per year! As the Industrial Revolution started and the port became busier, it was evident that a bridge was needed. However, it couldn’t just be any bridge…

When work began on the original cast iron bridge in 1793, it was measured to be 236ft long and 32ft wide, making it the largest bridge of it’s kind in the world. The bridge linked the areas of and Monkwearmouth, which were the two main settlement, situated on either side of the mouth of the river Wear. Before the bridge was built, those wishing to cross the river could only do so by rowing boat or by using the ferry service. The bridge was reconstructed to be flatter in the 1850s by , the son of the North East inventor and ‘Father of the Railway’ . As buses, trams and cars became more popular across the country, the Wearmouth Bridge once again went under construction in 1927. The crossing, as we now know it today, was opened by the future King George VI in 1929, to crowds of cheering, enthusiastic residents. Inscribed into the iron railings of the new bridge was the town’s motto – ‘Nil desperandum, auspice Dei’ (‘Do not despair, trust in God’). This Latin phrase had been used repeatedly throughout Sunderland’s history. Some residents still claim that the motto came from 8th Century Monkwearmouth resident Saint Bede, though there is no evidence to back this claim up. WHAT ARE WE LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM? In Year 7 we’re studying the Medieval age, with a focus on Medieval England, Medieval Baghdad, the Silk Roads and the Middle East. Research Point – Medieval Sunderland was small port and the Hilton family were living at , on land that had been given to the family by William the Conqueror. In Year 8 we’re studying the Transatlantic Slave Trade, with a focus on how the slave trade shaped Britain and lit the flame for the Industrial Revolution. Research Point - In 1788, James Stanfield wrote a book called ‘Observations on a Guinea Voyage’, which vividly described everything he saw on board a Liverpool slave ship. When Stanfield moved to Sunderland, he oversaw the creation of the new library for the people to educate themselves and encouraged a sugar boycott across the town. In Year 9 we’re studying the Holocaust and the Second World War. Research Point – Sunderland was a prime target for Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, meaning that our city was regularly bombed during the Second World War. What is now known as the ‘Sunderland Blitz’ took place from 1940-43. In Year 10 we’re studying Medicine Through Time as part of our GCSE syllabus. Research Point – In October 1831, Sunderland was the first town in Britain to report deaths from what was to become a deadly outbreak of cholera. The disease spread from ships docked in our ports around the country, eventually killing 52,000. Cholera hospitals and graveyards popped up across the town, along with infamous body snatchers and grave looters. We are Always Living Through History This month Sunderland AFC made history, with our first cup win since 1973! For many younger Sunderland fans, this monumental day will be the first time they have seen Sunderland win at Wembley. After three recent defeats, the black cats managed to bring home the Papa John’s Trophy, beating Tranmere Rovers 1-0.

THEN THEN

NOW NOW

‘People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.’ – James Baldwin

Sunderland Antiquarian Society Local Historian Elizabeth Smith Images courtesy of Sunderland With thanks to… Glenholme Care Home Antiquarian Society Fulwell Library