Sunderland

Sunderland is a coastal city lies at the mouth of the Wear River, around 80 meters above sea level. It is located in the centre of the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough, local government district in England with a population of around 174,286 according to 2011 census. It is situated about 10 miles southeast of Newcastle and 240 miles north of London. The River Wear flows through the centre of the town and divides in a deeply incised valley. The town’s name is originated from sundered land meaning land kept aside for a special purpose or land sundered. The evidence of three settlements found historically in a county in North East England or County Durham on the site of present-day Sunderland.

The area of Sunderland Monkwearmouth is located on the north bank of the Wear River and settled in 674 during the foundation of Jarrow Abbey by the Benedict Biscop. Another settlement Bishopwearmouth founded in 930, lies at the southern side of the river. The town developed as a port over a period and became famous for trading salt and coal. The construction of ships started on the river in the 14^th century. With the passage of time, the port of the town absorbed Monkwearmouth and Bishopwearmouth by the 19^th century. The town became the major centre for the automotive industry and the service sector. It has been suggested that the person who is born or lives in the town, sometimes known as Mackem. The concept came into existence in the late 20^th century and not used until 1980.

History

The early inhabitants of the town were the hunter-gatherers during Stone Age. The remains of the period were found during the excavations of St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth including the artefacts and microliths. The area of Hastings Hill became a primary place of burial and central point of activity in the Neolithic period, the final phase of the Stone Age. In the pre and post-Roman period, the area was occupied by the Brigantes around the Wear River. During the Anglo-Saxon era, the town became an important centre of knowledge and learning and library with approximately 300 volumes was also located in the town.  

The long trench, a tactic of warfare was found as one artefact of the English civil war. In the 17^th century, the three original settlements (Monkwearmouth, Sunderland and Bishopwearmouth) were integrated and known as Sunderland-near-the-Sea. The factors behind the incorporation included the construction of ships on the banks of the river, salt panning and success of the port of Sunderland. The construction of Sunderland barracks was completed in 1794. These barracks included the 80-bed hospital, soldier’s quarters and housing for 1528 infantry troops. The second iron bridge of the world was built in the town in 1796.

The town was severally affected by the major Indian epidemic Cholera, broke out in the town in 1831. The disease spread in other parts of the country resulted in the death of more than 32000 people. The town again suffered from the worst disaster of the Victoria Hall in 1883 leading to the death of 183 children due to lack of enough way to pass during a variety show. This led to the invention of the concept of push bar emergency doors. The economy of the town shifted to chemical and motor manufacturing after the fall of heavy industries in the early 19^th century. The electric tram system arrived in the town in 1900, later on, these were replaced by the buses in 1940.

The town saw remarkable expansion in the shipbuilding business during the First World War and became the prime target of a Zeppelin raid in 1916. Approx. 2500 citizens of the town served in the armed forces during the war period. The town also attacked by the German bombers during the Second World War leading to the destruction of 4000 homes and death of 267 people in the town. The coal mining and shipbuilding industry declined and ended by the late 20^th century resulted in the unemployment of the local workforce.