deeper water to the east. The reef can be seen today as a as today seen be can reef The east. the to water deeper 4 1 3 5 railway network enabled slate to be transported further afield. further transported be to slate enabled network railway further altering the dramatic coastline. dramatic the altering further

direction, separating a shallow lagoon to the west from from west the to lagoon shallow a separating direction, material in the 19th century, when the development of the the of development the when century, 19th the in material continue to wear away the land, deepening valleys and and valleys deepening land, the away wear to continue

A reef formed a barrier running roughly in a north-south north-south a in roughly running barrier a formed reef A the Earth’s crust. Welsh slate became a common roofing roofing common a became slate Welsh crust. Earth’s the for shaping the landscape you see today. Rivers and seas seas and Rivers today. see you landscape the shaping for

when limestone and shale were altered by heat and pressure in in pressure and heat by altered were shale and limestone when The action of the ice and meltwater were largely responsible responsible largely were meltwater and ice the of action The times, causing the Zechstein Sea to periodically dry up. dry periodically to Sea Zechstein the causing times,

rocks which formed formed which rocks metamorphic are slate and Marble form’. North Sea. The ice finally melted about 15,000 years ago. ago. years 15,000 about melted finally ice The Sea. North several million years the sea level rose and fell several several fell and rose level sea the years million several

This third rock type takes its name from the Greek for ‘change of of ‘change for Greek the from name its takes type rock third This sheets up to 1km thick covered County Durham and the the and Durham County covered thick 1km to up sheets sea, known as the Zechstein Sea. Over the following following the Over Sea. Zechstein the as known sea,

colder periods (‘ice ages’) and warmer periods. At times, ice ice times, At periods. warmer and ages’) (‘ice periods colder the surrounding ocean flooded it to create a shallow inland inland shallow a create to it flooded ocean surrounding the

from other parts of the UK and even abroad. even and UK the of parts other from Over the last 2.5 million years the climate alternated between between alternated climate the years million 2.5 last the Over 260 million years ago, in the Permian Period, water from from water Period, Permian the in ago, years million 260

‘granites’ used in Sunderland’s buildings have been imported imported been have buildings Sunderland’s in used ‘granites’

A large part of the desert lay beneath sea level and around around and level sea beneath lay desert the of part large A

2 the area for building stone. building for area the

describe a range of crystalline igneous rocks. The decorative decorative The rocks. igneous crystalline of range a describe

‘missing’ rocks have been quarried elsewhere and brought into into brought and elsewhere quarried been have rocks ‘missing’ 5 quarried today for building sand. building for today quarried

to a stonemason or architect it is a broader term, used to to used term, broader a is it architect or stonemason a to

been removed by the work of rivers and seas. Some of these these of Some seas. and rivers of work the by removed been dunes. The remains of these dunes, the ‘Yellow Sands’, are are Sands’, ‘Yellow the dunes, these of remains The dunes.

refers to a rock of a specific composition and grain size, but but size, grain and composition specific a of rock a to refers

geology of the area during that time as any rocks formed have have formed rocks any as time that during area the of geology drier. This area became a barren desert covered by sand sand by covered desert barren a became area This drier.

Earth’s surface (eg basalt). To a geologist, the term granite granite term the geologist, a To basalt). (eg surface Earth’s

reached where it is today. We do not have any record of the the of record any have not do We today. is it where reached north of the equator and the climate became hotter and and hotter became climate the and equator the of north

and solidifies, either underground (eg granite) or at the the at or granite) (eg underground either solidifies, and

This area continued to drift north for 250 million years until it it until years million 250 for north drift to continued area This About 300 million years ago the land moved slowly further further slowly moved land the ago years million 300 About

describes rocks that form when molten rock (magma) cools cools (magma) rock molten when form that rocks describes

1 4 above them to collapse. to them above comes from the Latin word for fire and and fire for word Latin the from comes igneous word The

south, but in this area they have dissolved, causing the rocks rocks the causing dissolved, have they area this in but south,

Thick salt deposits still exist deep beneath the surface further further surface the beneath deep exist still deposits salt Thick

Salt minerals known as evaporites built up on the sea floor. floor. sea the on up built evaporites as known minerals Salt

© Elizabeth Pickett Elizabeth ©

memorial, point ) point memorial, n

caused the sea water to evaporate, making it much saltier. much it making evaporate, to water sea the caused

(this is from the war the from is (this

During periods of falling sea level, the hot arid climate climate arid hot the level, sea falling of periods During Granite

© Elizabeth Pickett Elizabeth ©

from the wall at point point at wall the from f

of Sunderland. This example is example This Sunderland. of

in many of the buildings and walls and buildings the of many in

House, point ) point House, g

limestones. You’ll see this used this see You’ll limestones.

(this is from Burdon from is (this Magma

Sandstone the Carboniferous Period Carboniferous the formed in some of the the of some in formed

seams – a tropical swamp in in swamp tropical a – seams Right: Unusual textures textures Unusual Right:

The roots of Durham’s coal coal Durham’s of roots The

Limestone was laid down. laid was Limestone

in which the Magnesian Magnesian the which in source of building stone. building of source 2

Above: The Zechstein Sea, Zechstein The Above: 5 4 1 has been a valuable valuable a been has ( coal

and as well as its importance for for importance its as well as and

shale. This sequence of rocks is known as the ‘Coal Measures’ Measures’ ‘Coal the as known is rocks of sequence This shale.

Period

coal seams and the sand and mud became sandstone and and sandstone became mud and sand the and seams coal in the Carboniferous Carboniferous the in

Sunderland buildings. Sunderland Sandy river delta river Sandy layers of sand and mud. Eventually the peat hardened to form form to hardened peat the Eventually mud. and sand of layers

limestone can be seen in many many in seen be can limestone plants built up as a layer of peat, which was then buried under under buried then was which peat, of layer a as up built plants

sedimentary rocks. Sandstone and and Sandstone rocks. sedimentary

lying tropical swamps covered the land. Dead trees and other other and trees Dead land. the covered swamps tropical lying

Zechstein Sea Zechstein

and the Magnesian Limestone – are are – Limestone Magnesian the and was part of a large continent that lay across the equator. Low Low equator. the across lay that continent large a of part was

described opposite – like the Coal Measures Measures Coal the like – opposite described 310 million years ago, in the Carboniferous Period, this area area this Period, Carboniferous the in ago, years million 310

into rocks such as sandstone, limestone and coal. The local rocks rocks local The coal. and limestone sandstone, as such rocks into

seeing a particular geological feature. geological particular a seeing

Lagoon build up in layers and after millions of years eventually harden harden eventually years of millions after and layers in up build

The numbers in circles show which walk is best for for best is walk which show circles in numbers The Reef remains of organisms such as sea creatures and plants. These These plants. and creatures sea as such organisms of remains

An introduction to the area’s geology area’s the to introduction An accumulation of fragments eroded from pre-existing rocks or the the or rocks pre-existing from eroded fragments of accumulation

rocks form at the Earth’s surface by the the by surface Earth’s the at form rocks Sedimentary

many processes that shaped the landscape you see today. see you landscape the shaped that processes many

can still be seen in the rock. the in seen be still can sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. and igneous sedimentary,

Together the walks offer a fascinating overview of the the of overview fascinating a offer walks the Together

mud that eventually became limestone. In places fossilised shells shells fossilised places In limestone. became eventually that mud stones can be categorised into one of three main groups: groups: main three of one into categorised be can stones

remains built up as lime-rich mud on the sea floor. It is this limy limy this is It floor. sea the on mud lime-rich as up built remains natural habitats and the lives of local people. people. local of lives the and habitats natural from other parts of the world. Like all rocks, these building building these rocks, all Like world. the of parts other from

on and within the reef. Tiny fragments of shell and skeletal skeletal and shell of fragments Tiny reef. the within and on and find out how the geology has influenced the area’s area’s the influenced has geology the how out find and of local stone, stone from elsewhere in the UK and also also and UK the in elsewhere from stone stone, local of

Beacon Hill near Seaham. A large variety of animals lived lived animals of variety large A Seaham. near Hill Beacon to explore east Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland Sunderland and Tyneside South Durham, east explore to 4 Around the streets of Sunderland, you can see examples examples see can you Sunderland, of streets the Around

number of hills in the area, including the Tunstall Hills and and Hills Tunstall the including area, the in hills of number This walk is one of five self-guided trails that help you you help that trails self-guided five of one is walk This 3

A city built on geology on built city A A walk on the Magnesian Limestone Plateau Limestone Magnesian the on walk A

The Limestone Landscapes Partnership is working with many different More geology to see in and people to conserve the landscape, wildlife and rich heritage of the A Magnesian Limestone Geotrail. Walk 2 Magnesian Limestone and to enable communities to learn about, enjoy around Sunderland and celebrate their local area. Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens This walk is one of five we have produced which introduce the unique geology of the Magnesian Limestone Plateau. When you finish the walk it’s well worth calling in at the Museum. Discover more about Sunderland’s 1 Marsden cliffs and Souter fascinating geological story in the ‘Lost Worlds’ gallery 2 Sunderland City Geotrail and Mowbray Park Sensory Trail and ponder our tropical Carboniferous past amongst 3 Tunstall Hills the rainforest plants of the Winter Gardens. Although 4 Nose’s Point, Seaham Rock in the city the plants you see hadn’t 5 Coxhoe evolved back then, the South Shields NEWCASTLE- garden gives a sense of UPON-TYNE 1 A short city stroll around Sunderland, one of Sunderland’s many taking in Mowbray Park long-vanished worlds. seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk SUNDERLAND A1 A1231 2 Tel: 0191 553 2323 (M) Washington 0 3 Area of Magnesian A69 Limestone Plateau Chester- A19 le-Street Seaham Houghton- 4 le-Spring

A1 82 DURHAM Further afield... Peterlee

There are many other interesting building stones, rock A690 (M) A18 A1 1 exposures and geological features to be seen A167 5 HARTLEPOOL elsewhere in the Sunderland area, including along the Roker-Seaburn seafront and at South Hylton. These Bishop Auckland Sedgefield areas are described in the book ‘Bedrock and Building A19 Stones: Geology exposed in the City of Sunderland’ Newton Aycliffe by Dr Andy Lane. Find out more at A 68 Billingham www.rocksofthenorth.co.uk Much of the land along this route is owned by Sunderland City Claxheugh Rock, Council. To report any issues on this route please visit South Hylton www.sunderland.gov.uk GR: NZ362574 Cannonball concretions Roker GR: NZ407597 This project has been coordinated by Groundwork NE & Cumbria; Changing Places, Changing Lives – one green step at a time. Find out more at www.groundwork.org.uk/northeast or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We would like to thank Sunderland City Council, Andy Lane and the Sunderland Antiquarian Society for their help.

©Dr Andy Lane

Leaflet design & production © Marcus Byron. Information and advice from Andy lane and Elizabeth Pickett. Illustrations © Elizabeth Pickett except as indicated. Maps © Crown ©Dr Andy Lane Making a positive difference to the unique

copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Licence 100042893. environment of the Magnesian Limestone area Sunderland City GeoTrail.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2015 18:01 Page 1 Page 18:01 25/03/2015 1 GeoTrail.qxp_Layout City Sunderland

deeper water to the east. The reef can be seen today as a as today seen be can reef The east. the to water deeper 4 1 3 5 railway network enabled slate to be transported further afield. further transported be to slate enabled network railway further altering the dramatic coastline. dramatic the altering further

direction, separating a shallow lagoon to the west from from west the to lagoon shallow a separating direction, material in the 19th century, when the development of the the of development the when century, 19th the in material continue to wear away the land, deepening valleys and and valleys deepening land, the away wear to continue

A reef formed a barrier running roughly in a north-south north-south a in roughly running barrier a formed reef A the Earth’s crust. Welsh slate became a common roofing roofing common a became slate Welsh crust. Earth’s the for shaping the landscape you see today. Rivers and seas seas and Rivers today. see you landscape the shaping for

when limestone and shale were altered by heat and pressure in in pressure and heat by altered were shale and limestone when The action of the ice and meltwater were largely responsible responsible largely were meltwater and ice the of action The times, causing the Zechstein Sea to periodically dry up. dry periodically to Sea Zechstein the causing times,

rocks which formed formed which rocks metamorphic are slate and Marble form’. North Sea. The ice finally melted about 15,000 years ago. ago. years 15,000 about melted finally ice The Sea. North several million years the sea level rose and fell several several fell and rose level sea the years million several

This third rock type takes its name from the Greek for ‘change of of ‘change for Greek the from name its takes type rock third This sheets up to 1km thick covered County Durham and the the and Durham County covered thick 1km to up sheets sea, known as the Zechstein Sea. Over the following following the Over Sea. Zechstein the as known sea,

colder periods (‘ice ages’) and warmer periods. At times, ice ice times, At periods. warmer and ages’) (‘ice periods colder the surrounding ocean flooded it to create a shallow inland inland shallow a create to it flooded ocean surrounding the

from other parts of the UK and even abroad. even and UK the of parts other from Over the last 2.5 million years the climate alternated between between alternated climate the years million 2.5 last the Over 260 million years ago, in the Permian Period, water from from water Period, Permian the in ago, years million 260

‘granites’ used in Sunderland’s buildings have been imported imported been have buildings Sunderland’s in used ‘granites’

A large part of the desert lay beneath sea level and around around and level sea beneath lay desert the of part large A

2 the area for building stone. building for area the

describe a range of crystalline igneous rocks. The decorative decorative The rocks. igneous crystalline of range a describe

‘missing’ rocks have been quarried elsewhere and brought into into brought and elsewhere quarried been have rocks ‘missing’ 5 quarried today for building sand. building for today quarried

to a stonemason or architect it is a broader term, used to to used term, broader a is it architect or stonemason a to

been removed by the work of rivers and seas. Some of these these of Some seas. and rivers of work the by removed been dunes. The remains of these dunes, the ‘Yellow Sands’, are are Sands’, ‘Yellow the dunes, these of remains The dunes.

refers to a rock of a specific composition and grain size, but but size, grain and composition specific a of rock a to refers

geology of the area during that time as any rocks formed have have formed rocks any as time that during area the of geology drier. This area became a barren desert covered by sand sand by covered desert barren a became area This drier.

Earth’s surface (eg basalt). To a geologist, the term granite granite term the geologist, a To basalt). (eg surface Earth’s

reached where it is today. We do not have any record of the the of record any have not do We today. is it where reached north of the equator and the climate became hotter and and hotter became climate the and equator the of north

and solidifies, either underground (eg granite) or at the the at or granite) (eg underground either solidifies, and

This area continued to drift north for 250 million years until it it until years million 250 for north drift to continued area This About 300 million years ago the land moved slowly further further slowly moved land the ago years million 300 About

describes rocks that form when molten rock (magma) cools cools (magma) rock molten when form that rocks describes

1 4 above them to collapse. to them above comes from the Latin word for fire and and fire for word Latin the from comes igneous word The

south, but in this area they have dissolved, causing the rocks rocks the causing dissolved, have they area this in but south,

Thick salt deposits still exist deep beneath the surface further further surface the beneath deep exist still deposits salt Thick

Salt minerals known as evaporites built up on the sea floor. floor. sea the on up built evaporites as known minerals Salt

© Elizabeth Pickett Elizabeth ©

memorial, point ) point memorial, n

caused the sea water to evaporate, making it much saltier. much it making evaporate, to water sea the caused

(this is from the war the from is (this

During periods of falling sea level, the hot arid climate climate arid hot the level, sea falling of periods During Granite

© Elizabeth Pickett Elizabeth ©

from the wall at point point at wall the from f

of Sunderland. This example is example This Sunderland. of

in many of the buildings and walls and buildings the of many in

House, point ) point House, g

limestones. You’ll see this used this see You’ll limestones.

(this is from Burdon from is (this Magma

Sandstone the Carboniferous Period Carboniferous the formed in some of the the of some in formed

seams – a tropical swamp in in swamp tropical a – seams Right: Unusual textures textures Unusual Right:

The roots of Durham’s coal coal Durham’s of roots The

Limestone was laid down. laid was Limestone

in which the Magnesian Magnesian the which in source of building stone. building of source 2

Above: The Zechstein Sea, Zechstein The Above: 5 4 1 has been a valuable valuable a been has ( coal

and as well as its importance for for importance its as well as and

shale. This sequence of rocks is known as the ‘Coal Measures’ Measures’ ‘Coal the as known is rocks of sequence This shale.

Period

coal seams and the sand and mud became sandstone and and sandstone became mud and sand the and seams coal in the Carboniferous Carboniferous the in

Sunderland buildings. Sunderland Sandy river delta river Sandy layers of sand and mud. Eventually the peat hardened to form form to hardened peat the Eventually mud. and sand of layers

limestone can be seen in many many in seen be can limestone plants built up as a layer of peat, which was then buried under under buried then was which peat, of layer a as up built plants

sedimentary rocks. Sandstone and and Sandstone rocks. sedimentary

lying tropical swamps covered the land. Dead trees and other other and trees Dead land. the covered swamps tropical lying

Zechstein Sea Zechstein

and the Magnesian Limestone – are are – Limestone Magnesian the and was part of a large continent that lay across the equator. Low Low equator. the across lay that continent large a of part was

described opposite – like the Coal Measures Measures Coal the like – opposite described 310 million years ago, in the Carboniferous Period, this area area this Period, Carboniferous the in ago, years million 310

into rocks such as sandstone, limestone and coal. The local rocks rocks local The coal. and limestone sandstone, as such rocks into

seeing a particular geological feature. geological particular a seeing

Lagoon build up in layers and after millions of years eventually harden harden eventually years of millions after and layers in up build

The numbers in circles show which walk is best for for best is walk which show circles in numbers The Reef remains of organisms such as sea creatures and plants. These These plants. and creatures sea as such organisms of remains

An introduction to the area’s geology area’s the to introduction An accumulation of fragments eroded from pre-existing rocks or the the or rocks pre-existing from eroded fragments of accumulation

rocks form at the Earth’s surface by the the by surface Earth’s the at form rocks Sedimentary

many processes that shaped the landscape you see today. see you landscape the shaped that processes many

can still be seen in the rock. the in seen be still can sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. and igneous sedimentary,

Together the walks offer a fascinating overview of the the of overview fascinating a offer walks the Together

mud that eventually became limestone. In places fossilised shells shells fossilised places In limestone. became eventually that mud stones can be categorised into one of three main groups: groups: main three of one into categorised be can stones

remains built up as lime-rich mud on the sea floor. It is this limy limy this is It floor. sea the on mud lime-rich as up built remains natural habitats and the lives of local people. people. local of lives the and habitats natural from other parts of the world. Like all rocks, these building building these rocks, all Like world. the of parts other from

on and within the reef. Tiny fragments of shell and skeletal skeletal and shell of fragments Tiny reef. the within and on and find out how the geology has influenced the area’s area’s the influenced has geology the how out find and of local stone, stone from elsewhere in the UK and also also and UK the in elsewhere from stone stone, local of

Beacon Hill near Seaham. A large variety of animals lived lived animals of variety large A Seaham. near Hill Beacon to explore east Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland Sunderland and Tyneside South Durham, east explore to 4 Around the streets of Sunderland, you can see examples examples see can you Sunderland, of streets the Around

number of hills in the area, including the Tunstall Hills and and Hills Tunstall the including area, the in hills of number This walk is one of five self-guided trails that help you you help that trails self-guided five of one is walk This 3

A city built on geology on built city A A walk on the Magnesian Limestone Plateau Limestone Magnesian the on walk A

The Limestone Landscapes Partnership is working with many different More geology to see in and people to conserve the landscape, wildlife and rich heritage of the A Magnesian Limestone Geotrail. Walk 2 Magnesian Limestone and to enable communities to learn about, enjoy around Sunderland and celebrate their local area. Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens This walk is one of five we have produced which introduce the unique geology of the Magnesian Limestone Plateau. When you finish the walk it’s well worth calling in at the Museum. Discover more about Sunderland’s 1 Marsden cliffs and Souter fascinating geological story in the ‘Lost Worlds’ gallery 2 Sunderland City Geotrail and Mowbray Park Sensory Trail and ponder our tropical Carboniferous past amongst 3 Tunstall Hills the rainforest plants of the Winter Gardens. Although 4 Nose’s Point, Seaham Rock in the city the plants you see hadn’t 5 Coxhoe evolved back then, the South Shields NEWCASTLE- garden gives a sense of UPON-TYNE 1 A short city stroll around Sunderland, one of Sunderland’s many taking in Mowbray Park long-vanished worlds. seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk SUNDERLAND A1 A1231 2 Tel: 0191 553 2323 (M) Washington 0 3 Area of Magnesian A69 Limestone Plateau Chester- A19 le-Street Seaham Houghton- 4 le-Spring

A1 82 DURHAM Further afield... Peterlee

There are many other interesting building stones, rock A690 (M) A18 A1 1

exposures and geological features to be seen A167 5 HARTLEPOOL elsewhere in the Sunderland area, including along the Roker-Seaburn seafront and at South Hylton. These Bishop Auckland Sedgefield areas are described in the book ‘Bedrock and Building A19 Stones: Geology exposed in the City of Sunderland’ Newton Aycliffe by Dr Andy Lane. Find out more at A 68 Billingham www.rocksofthenorth.co.uk Much of the land along this route is owned by Sunderland City Claxheugh Rock, Council. To report any issues on this route please visit South Hylton www.sunderland.gov.uk GR: NZ362574 Cannonball concretions Roker GR: NZ407597 This project has been coordinated by Groundwork NE & Cumbria; Changing Places, Changing Lives – one green step at a time. Find out more at www.groundwork.org.uk/northeast or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We would like to thank Sunderland City Council, Andy Lane and the Sunderland Antiquarian Society for their help.

©Dr Andy Lane

Leaflet design & production © Marcus Byron. Information and advice from Andy lane and Elizabeth Pickett. Illustrations © Elizabeth Pickett except as indicated. Maps © Crown ©Dr Andy Lane Making a positive difference to the unique

copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Licence 100042893. environment of the Magnesian Limestone area Sunderland City GeoTrail.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2015 18:01 Page 1 Page 18:01 25/03/2015 1 GeoTrail.qxp_Layout City Sunderland Sunderland City GeoTrail.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2015 18:01 Page 2

Walk information 2 Turn left at the end of the church building and left again to the road at the lights and walk down the right side of the road Discover some of Sunderland’s buildings and walk around the back into Pann Lane c . Where lane splits, keep straight ahead (Burdon Road) g . Follow this road for 300m to the rocks they’re made from 2 miles/1.25km right to walk down narrow alley. Out on High Street, turn right. the Civic Centre and a road cutting h . A mainly level route on good surfaces (pavements and tarmac 3 Walk along pedestrianised section of High Street d , passing 6 Walk under the footbridge and after about 20m look for an paths). There’s a gentle climb to the top of Building Hill in West Street on the left. Keep on until you see the distinctive exposure of rock on the corner i with steps on the right. Go up Mowbray Park and steps at the Civic Centre and the Minster, narrow building ahead to the left (the ‘Londonderry’ pub). Walk the steps, back under the footbridge and keep left to cross the which can be avoided if necessary. down to the left side of the pub, cross the road ahead at the bridge into Mowbray Park. Turn right and take the left fork, zebra crossing and turn right. heading towards the overgrown rock face. j Turn right then keep P Plenty of city centre parking. left to climb up Building Hill, heading towards a statue. k 4 Turn left before the row of buildings, then right along a lane Sunderland is served by plenty of buses and trains, 7 Keep on, following the path at the edge of the quarry, and that brings you to the back of the Minster Church. e Turn right, and both the rail and bus stations are near to the start back downhill at the far side as the path bears left. At the lodge following church wall on left. Back at main road, turn sharp left of the walk. l turn left back to the quarry. The path bears right to the through gateway into church grounds. At church turn right and Plenty of cafes, coffee shops and pubs bowling green. Turn sharp left back to a good exposure of the follow path around the building. At far side of church turn right quarry face. m Take next right past a small sculpture and then Sunderland Museum to leave the grounds and then right again down a flight of stone next left up to the monument on top of a rise. n steps to a pedestrianised street. Turn left. 8 Turn back. At the path junction turn left, then left again down Directions 5 Cross the road ahead at the lights. Keep straight on, following to the park gates. Don’t leave the park, but turn right, then left 1 From the Museum, turn right and cross the Borough Rd at an old stone wall on your left f (Green Terrace). At the end of the across bridge over old railway cutting. Keep straight on, passing the lights to Fawcett St. a Walk all the way to St Mary’s Church street turn left. Walk along this road for 450m back to the statue of John Candlish. Turn left at T-juntion to war memorial o at the end of the road on the left. b crossroads with the Museum on the far corner. Turn right, crossing then right and back to the museum.

Wearmouth Bridge a h A city of contrasts Bedded down West Wear St Sunderland has a rich geological heritage, reflected in its This road cutting reveals a good section through the Magnesian buildings, streets and parks. The city is built on Magnesian Limestone. Look across the road and below the wall you can 2 0 250 m

Limestone, but the rock most commonly used in the grand see roughly horizontal layers in the rock face. These are known Bridge St 19th century buildings is a yellowish sandstone from the ‘Coal as ‘beds’ and they formed when layers of soft lime-rich mud Pann Lane b Measures’ to the west of Sunderland (see overleaf). Red built up on top of one another in the ancient Zechstein Sea. The A183 N sandstone is also common here – this has probably come mud eventually hardened into limestone, preserving some from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast or Dumfriesshire. You’ll original features like these beds. also see other materials brought from further afield in the UK c and even abroad: slate, brick and granite. Wartime bombing ravaged Sunderland, destroying many historic buildings, and d High St West 3 with modern redevelopment in streets like this many more non-local building materials have been introduced. P ‘Cannonball’ concretions in the quarry face at point m

b St Mary’s Church – hidden stone St West Dun Cow The front is local sandstone but Magnesian Limestone has been Empire pub used high up in the north-facing walls and round the back of Theatre Londonderry the church on Pann Lane. These walls were originally hidden by pub Fawcett St

St Michael’s 4 surrounding buildings, so High St West would not have been clearly Minster visible to passers by. Church e Construction of the church The Bridges began in 1830, so the rough Shopping Centre Way (A1231) limestone could well have Magnesian Limestone a been sourced from Building Sandstone P Hill in Mowbray Park ( j ) as a cheap, readily available material. Sandstone 5

Borough Rd Holmeside c Pann Lane – salty connections Green Terrace g 1 The long-gone Sunderland industry of salt-making is recalled f in the name of Pann Lane. As early as 1349 salt was being made from seawater along the banks of the River Wear. In 1589 salt-making here expanded, with seawater being heated and evaporated in iron vats known as ‘panns’, using local coal as fuel. Sunderland became famous for exporting both coal o and salt. At the end of Pann Lane look out for a grand tiled frontage in the wall on the right – all that remains of The Three Crowns i Rocks on the move Pub, which closed in 1959. These beautiful tiles are made of At the bottom of the steps to the Civic Centre there's a natural rock

‘faience’, a special type of tin-glazed pottery. ad face. Look for the smoother vertical surface (see below). This is evidence of a ‘fault’, a fracture along which rocks have moved P d Deep down rock past each other. You can see and feel horizontal scratches and The distinctive green-grey cladding on the grooves (‘slickensides’) on the surface, which tell us the direction Burdon Ro front of Marks & Spencer is from deeper of movement. h n in the Earth than most rocks you’ll ever Children’s play area see! It is an unusual metamorphic rock Civic 6 8 (see panel) known as ‘serpentinite’. Stockton Road Mowbray Park Its origins lie in the ‘mantle’, which Centre starts between 10 and 30km below the i m l Earth’s surface. The rock you see here j took millions of years to reach the surface and was altered by water to become serpentinite. Slickensides k 7 e Sunderland Minster As you approach the Minster look at the wall ahead and you ParkRoad will see it is made of blocks of local Magnesian Limestone. Although a church has stood on this site for over 1,000 years, very little remains of early buildings. The church was largely j A local source of stone m Close up rebuilt in the 1930s, as a result of damage caused by coal The rock face is the remains of an old Magnesian Limestone Where the path meets the old quarry face you can see bedding mining subsidence, and the stone used in the restoration was quarry that was here long before the park was created in 1857. layers (see h ) and intriguing textures called concretions, a limestone from Rutland. This formed 170 million years ago, Much of the limestone you have seen in buildings on the walk will including ‘cannonballs’. These structures formed as a result of in a warm shallow sea, and contains shelly fragments. have come from here. The grassy mounds you have just walked complex chemical reactions in the limy mud, a process still not through are what remains of the old spoil heaps. fully understood by geologists. f A wall of note This wall dates from the mid 1700s and once enclosed houses k View to a reef n A Magnesian Limestone rockery of the old village of Bishopwearmouth. By now you will As you climb to the top of Building Hill you’re walking through recognise the Magnesian Limestone from which it is built! In the rockery around the Jack Crawford monument are fine geological time, from older to younger rocks. It’s impossible to examples of Magnesian Limestone. Look out for a range of know exactly how much time this represents but it’s probably tens unusual patterns in the blocks, including more cannonballs. g Different rocks of thousands of years. At the top is a statue of General Havelock Some of the concretions have been cut through, showing their on a grey granite plinth. From here you have a grand view. In the Burdon House, which was built in 1916 for the North Eastern internal structure with radiating patterns. distance to the south-west you can see the Tunstall Hills; these are Railway Company, is a good place to see the contrast between part of the barrier reef (see geology introduction overleaf) and typical sedimentary and igneous rocks. Although most of the can can be visited on Geotrail Walk 3 . o building is made of the same local sandstone as many of Lest we forget Sunderland’s older buildings, near the base is a speckled grey The war memorial is a soaring column of pale grey granite igneous rock, which is made up of light and dark minerals. l South lodge from Cornwall. Around 280 million years have passed since it Contrast these tightly interlocking crystals with the sand grains Built in 1856, the cornerstones and door and window crystallized from molten rock. The new memorial wall is also of the sandstone; these reflect their very different origins – in a surrounds are sandstone, while the walls are again locally made of pale granite. The rock is made up of three main deep magma chamber or sandy river deltas. quarried Magnesian Limestone. minerals: quartz (glassy grey), feldspar (white) and mica (dark). Sunderland City GeoTrail.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2015 18:01 Page 2

Walk information 2 Turn left at the end of the church building and left again to the road at the lights and walk down the right side of the road Discover some of Sunderland’s buildings and walk around the back into Pann Lane c . Where lane splits, keep straight ahead (Burdon Road) g . Follow this road for 300m to the rocks they’re made from 2 miles/1.25km right to walk down narrow alley. Out on High Street, turn right. the Civic Centre and a road cutting h . A mainly level route on good surfaces (pavements and tarmac 3 Walk along pedestrianised section of High Street d , passing 6 Walk under the footbridge and after about 20m look for an paths). There’s a gentle climb to the top of Building Hill in West Street on the left. Keep on until you see the distinctive exposure of rock on the corner i with steps on the right. Go up Mowbray Park and steps at the Civic Centre and the Minster, narrow building ahead to the left (the ‘Londonderry’ pub). Walk the steps, back under the footbridge and keep left to cross the which can be avoided if necessary. down to the left side of the pub, cross the road ahead at the bridge into Mowbray Park. Turn right and take the left fork, zebra crossing and turn right. heading towards the overgrown rock face. j Turn right then keep P Plenty of city centre parking. left to climb up Building Hill, heading towards a statue. k 4 Turn left before the row of buildings, then right along a lane Sunderland is served by plenty of buses and trains, 7 Keep on, following the path at the edge of the quarry, and that brings you to the back of the Minster Church. e Turn right, and both the rail and bus stations are near to the start back downhill at the far side as the path bears left. At the lodge following church wall on left. Back at main road, turn sharp left of the walk. l turn left back to the quarry. The path bears right to the through gateway into church grounds. At church turn right and Plenty of cafes, coffee shops and pubs bowling green. Turn sharp left back to a good exposure of the follow path around the building. At far side of church turn right quarry face. m Take next right past a small sculpture and then Sunderland Museum to leave the grounds and then right again down a flight of stone next left up to the monument on top of a rise. n steps to a pedestrianised street. Turn left. 8 Turn back. At the path junction turn left, then left again down Directions 5 Cross the road ahead at the lights. Keep straight on, following to the park gates. Don’t leave the park, but turn right, then left 1 From the Museum, turn right and cross the Borough Rd at an old stone wall on your left f (Green Terrace). At the end of the across bridge over old railway cutting. Keep straight on, passing the lights to Fawcett St. a Walk all the way to St Mary’s Church street turn left. Walk along this road for 450m back to the statue of John Candlish. Turn left at T-juntion to war memorial o at the end of the road on the left. b crossroads with the Museum on the far corner. Turn right, crossing then right and back to the museum.

Wearmouth Bridge a h A city of contrasts Bedded down West Wear St Sunderland has a rich geological heritage, reflected in its This road cutting reveals a good section through the Magnesian buildings, streets and parks. The city is built on Magnesian Limestone. Look across the road and below the wall you can 2 0 250 m

Limestone, but the rock most commonly used in the grand see roughly horizontal layers in the rock face. These are known Bridge St 19th century buildings is a yellowish sandstone from the ‘Coal as ‘beds’ and they formed when layers of soft lime-rich mud Pann Lane b Measures’ to the west of Sunderland (see overleaf). Red built up on top of one another in the ancient Zechstein Sea. The A183 N sandstone is also common here – this has probably come mud eventually hardened into limestone, preserving some from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast or Dumfriesshire. You’ll original features like these beds. also see other materials brought from further afield in the UK c and even abroad: slate, brick and granite. Wartime bombing ravaged Sunderland, destroying many historic buildings, and d High St West 3 with modern redevelopment in streets like this many more non-local building materials have been introduced. P ‘Cannonball’ concretions in the quarry face at point m

b St Mary’s Church – hidden stone St West Dun Cow The front is local sandstone but Magnesian Limestone has been Empire pub used high up in the north-facing walls and round the back of Theatre Londonderry the church on Pann Lane. These walls were originally hidden by pub Fawcett St

St Michael’s 4 surrounding buildings, so High St West would not have been clearly Minster visible to passers by. Church e Construction of the church The Bridges began in 1830, so the rough Shopping Centre Way (A1231) limestone could well have Magnesian Limestone a been sourced from Building Sandstone P Hill in Mowbray Park ( j ) as a cheap, readily available material. Sandstone 5

Borough Rd Holmeside c Pann Lane – salty connections Green Terrace g 1 The long-gone Sunderland industry of salt-making is recalled f in the name of Pann Lane. As early as 1349 salt was being made from seawater along the banks of the River Wear. In 1589 salt-making here expanded, with seawater being heated and evaporated in iron vats known as ‘panns’, using local coal as fuel. Sunderland became famous for exporting both coal o and salt. At the end of Pann Lane look out for a grand tiled frontage in the wall on the right – all that remains of The Three Crowns i Rocks on the move Pub, which closed in 1959. These beautiful tiles are made of At the bottom of the steps to the Civic Centre there's a natural rock

‘faience’, a special type of tin-glazed pottery. ad face. Look for the smoother vertical surface (see below). This is evidence of a ‘fault’, a fracture along which rocks have moved P d Deep down rock past each other. You can see and feel horizontal scratches and The distinctive green-grey cladding on the grooves (‘slickensides’) on the surface, which tell us the direction Burdon Ro front of Marks & Spencer is from deeper of movement. h n in the Earth than most rocks you’ll ever Children’s play area see! It is an unusual metamorphic rock Civic 6 8 (see panel) known as ‘serpentinite’. Stockton Road Mowbray Park Its origins lie in the ‘mantle’, which Centre starts between 10 and 30km below the i m l Earth’s surface. The rock you see here j took millions of years to reach the surface and was altered by water to become serpentinite. Slickensides k 7 e Sunderland Minster As you approach the Minster look at the wall ahead and you ParkRoad will see it is made of blocks of local Magnesian Limestone. Although a church has stood on this site for over 1,000 years, very little remains of early buildings. The church was largely j A local source of stone m Close up rebuilt in the 1930s, as a result of damage caused by coal The rock face is the remains of an old Magnesian Limestone Where the path meets the old quarry face you can see bedding mining subsidence, and the stone used in the restoration was quarry that was here long before the park was created in 1857. layers (see h ) and intriguing textures called concretions, a limestone from Rutland. This formed 170 million years ago, Much of the limestone you have seen in buildings on the walk will including ‘cannonballs’. These structures formed as a result of in a warm shallow sea, and contains shelly fragments. have come from here. The grassy mounds you have just walked complex chemical reactions in the limy mud, a process still not through are what remains of the old spoil heaps. fully understood by geologists. f A wall of note This wall dates from the mid 1700s and once enclosed houses k View to a reef n A Magnesian Limestone rockery of the old village of Bishopwearmouth. By now you will As you climb to the top of Building Hill you’re walking through recognise the Magnesian Limestone from which it is built! In the rockery around the Jack Crawford monument are fine geological time, from older to younger rocks. It’s impossible to examples of Magnesian Limestone. Look out for a range of know exactly how much time this represents but it’s probably tens unusual patterns in the blocks, including more cannonballs. g Different rocks of thousands of years. At the top is a statue of General Havelock Some of the concretions have been cut through, showing their on a grey granite plinth. From here you have a grand view. In the Burdon House, which was built in 1916 for the North Eastern internal structure with radiating patterns. distance to the south-west you can see the Tunstall Hills; these are Railway Company, is a good place to see the contrast between part of the barrier reef (see geology introduction overleaf) and typical sedimentary and igneous rocks. Although most of the can can be visited on Geotrail Walk 3 . o building is made of the same local sandstone as many of Lest we forget Sunderland’s older buildings, near the base is a speckled grey The war memorial is a soaring column of pale grey granite igneous rock, which is made up of light and dark minerals. l South lodge from Cornwall. Around 280 million years have passed since it Contrast these tightly interlocking crystals with the sand grains Built in 1856, the cornerstones and door and window crystallized from molten rock. The new memorial wall is also of the sandstone; these reflect their very different origins – in a surrounds are sandstone, while the walls are again locally made of pale granite. The rock is made up of three main deep magma chamber or sandy river deltas. quarried Magnesian Limestone. minerals: quartz (glassy grey), feldspar (white) and mica (dark).