Visit City of Sunderland Places

Welcome to Visit City of Sunderland Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in City of Sunderland

  

City of Sunderland Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about City of Sunderland

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City of Sunderland history

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The metropolitan borough was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen’s accession. St Benedict Biscop was adopted as the City’s Patron Saint in March 2004.

City of Sunderland culture & places

Art and literature

Lewis Carroll was a frequent visitor to the area. He wrote most of Jabberwocky at Whitburn as well as “The Walrus and the Carpenter” Some parts of the area are believed to be the inspiration for his Alice in Wonderland stories.

Music

Sunderland has produced a modest number of musicians that have gone on to reach international fame, most notably Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. In recent years, a thriving underground music scene in Sunderland has helped the likes of Smalltown Heroes, The futureheads, Field Music, and Frankie & The Heartstrings gain national recognition.

Theatre

Sunderland Empire Theatre, opened in 1907, is the largest theatre in the North East. It reopened in December 2004 following a major redevelopment allowing it to stage West End shows such as Miss Saigon, Starlight Express and My Fair Lady. The Empire is the only theatre between Leeds and Glasgow large enough to accommodate such shows.

City of Sunderland economy & business

Media, internet, film and television

Sunderland has two local newspapers: The Sunderland Echo, founded in 1873, and the Sunderland Star. It also has its own local radio station Sun FM, a community radio station Spark FM, and a hospital radio station – Radio Sunderland for Hospitals.

You can visit City of Sunderland places with Walkfo City of Sunderland to hear history at City of Sunderland’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo City of Sunderland has 75 places to visit in our interactive City of Sunderland map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout City of Sunderland, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at City of Sunderland places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to City of Sunderland & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 75 audio facts unique to City of Sunderland places in an interactive City of Sunderland map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit City of Sunderland Places Map
75 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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City of Sunderland historic spots	City of Sunderland tourist destinations	City of Sunderland plaques	City of Sunderland geographic features
Walkfo City of Sunderland tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in City of Sunderland

  

Best City of Sunderland places to visit

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City of Sunderland has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied City of Sunderland’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo City of Sunderland’s information audio spots:

Sunderland Civic Centre Sunderland Civic Centre is a municipal building in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the headquarters of Sunderland City Council. The building is located in the Burdon Road in Sunderland.

Sunderland Sunderland is a port city and the administrative centre of the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England . It is situated near the mouth of the River Wear which flows through the city and as well as the city of Durham, situated roughly 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Sunderland city centre . A person from Sunderland is sometimes known as a Mackem .

Sunderland station Sunderland is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station is situated 12 miles 15 chains (20 km) south-east of Newcastle. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Sunderland Minster The Minster Church of St Michael and All Angels and St Benedict Biscop is a church in Sunderland city centre. It was known as St Michael & All Angels’ Church, serving the parish of Bishopwearmouth, but was renamed on 11 January 1998 in recognition of Sunderland’s city status.

St Mary’s Church, Sunderland St Mary’s Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. It is a Grade II listed building, designed by Ignatius Bonomi. Built from 1830 to 1835, it is the earliest Gothic revival church surviving in Sunderland.

Phoenix Lodge Members of Phoenix Lodge built the Freemasons’ Hall in Queen Street East, Sunderland, in 1785. It is considered to be the oldest purpose-built Masonic Temple in the world that has been in continuous use from its foundation. The Hall is a Grade I listed building.

Institute for International Research in Glass Institute for International Research in Glass promotes and facilitates research in Glass at a national and international level. It is located in the National Glass Centre on the bank of the river Wear.

Sunderland Eye Infirmary Sunderland Eye Infirmary is a health facility in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. It is managed by the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth St Peter’s was founded in AD 674–5 as one of the two churches of the Benedictine double monastery of Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey. The other church is St Paul’s Church, Jarrow. The Grade I listed building is part of a scheduled monument.

Sunderland Barracks Sunderland Barracks was a military installation in the old east end of Sunderland. It was built as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution.

Visit City of Sunderland plaques