A History of Sunderland: Third Edition

A History of Sunderland deals in a lucid manner with the fascinating story of human activity on Wearside, a story that begins thousands of years ago when the Sunderland area was covered in dense woodland and Stone Age hunter–gatherers were at large. Subsequently, the Romans came and were followed by monks who transformed Wearmouth into a place of renown, best known for its associations with the famous scholar, Bede. During the Middle Ages, Sunderland became a borough and was affected by Scottish raids and the Black Death. In the Tudor period, it was described as ‘in great decay of buildings and inhabitants’, but change was at hand. The development of industry, particularly the coal trade, brought about a transformation—Sunderland began to thrive and its population grew. As the 18th century drew to a close, Sunderland’s shipbuilding industry began a remarkable process of expansion, adding to the town’s prosperity. But prosperity was not enjoyed by all. Some residents led lives blighted by grinding poverty in parts of Sunderland infamous for filth and squalor. Poverty was again prevalent during the Depression, when Sunderland had an unen­viable reputation for high unemploy­ment and overcrowding. The Second World War brought work, but it also brought death and destruction, and in the post–war years Sunderland witnessed remarkable house building programmes aimed at addressing its shortage of decent accommodation. Many other changes have occurred, such as the end of traditional heavy industries, the establishment of Nissan, and the granting of city status in 1992. ‘There was a real need for a scholarly, readable, overall history of the city from its origins. Tom Corfe gave us one over twenty years ago, and now we ... [have] another, with new insights and up–to–date information.’ Geoffrey Milburn—former Senior Lecturer in History, Sunderland Polytechnic. Illustrated throughout with 125 black and white images.