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A brief history of Sunderland

The earliest people to live in Sunderland were hunter-gatherers from the Stone Age. Microliths were recovered, along with other artifacts, from this area.

Many people believed that the area around the River Wear was inhabited by the Brigantes in the pre- ad post-Roman era. Roma artefacts were then discovered in the River Wear in 2021.

King Ecgfrith gave Benedict Biscop land, and he used this land to build the Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery. This place became a major centre of knowledge and learning in 686 when the Ceolfrid took over it. It had a library containing around 300 volumes.

Bede mostly worked on the Codex Amiatinus which was told to be the world’s finest book, according to White. This book was made at the monastery.

The Vikings raided the coast near the end of the 8th century, and the monastery was abandoned in the mid-9th century. Athelstan of England gave the lands on the river’s south side to the Bishop of Durham. These lands were later known as Bishopwearmouth.

There was a fishing village called Soender-land in 1100. This was included in the Bishopwearmouth parish and has later evolved into Sunderland. Sunderland was then given by Hugh Pudsey a charter, and another charter was given by the Bishop of Durham to the merchants. The first event happened in 1179, and after some time, Sunderland became a port.

Thomas Menville built ships at Wearmouth from 1346. Coal exportation then became slowly rampant by 1396. Salt trade contributed to the rapid growth of the port.

Coal and salt exportation continued to progress through the 17th century. The North was captured in 1644 by parliament. Because of that, the villages which were later known as Sunderland were taken, too.

The shipbuilding trade in Sunderland grew in the 18th century, and the town might have even become Britain’s premier shipbuilding centre.

A lighthouse designed by Engineer Jonathan Pickernell was built in Sunderland and another on the South Pier. Public transportation progressed in 1900-1919. There was an electric tram system which was replaced by buses in the 1940s.

Shipbuilding still grew in town, especially during the First World War, but it declined at the latter end of it through the Great Depression.

In the 1980s and 1990s, new industries developed to replace the heavy industries, and there was also an expansion in the service sector. In 1992, Sunderland was given city status.

During the Second World War, a lot of areas and structures were damaged, but there are several ones that stood still. Some of them were religious buildings which are considered as tourist destinations in the current time.