The history of Monkwearmouth Station Museum

Monkwearmouth Station Museum. Image courtesy of schultzstm.

The Monkwearmouth Station Museum which opened in 1973  is a grade 2 listed 1840s Victorian station building.  It gives the ability for visitors to be transported back to the mid 1800s and see how a Victorian age  train station operated. The Museum is family friendly with activities for all ages.

The Museum houses seven interactive galleries, including an award  winning children’s interactive gallery. There are also a wide range of activities for children during school holidays.

Commemorative plaque on George Hudson Street.
Image courtesy of Keith Seabridge.

The station was designed by Thomas Moore of Sunderland and commissioned by the famous railway entrepreneur George Hudson. It opened in 1848 as the main station in Sunderland for trains from Gateshead and Newcastle.

George Hudson portrait. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Station closed in 1967 as a result of the Beeching Axe which was carried out  in order to the reduce the number of routes, help with restructuring of the Railways in Great Britain and to prevent losses. due to the rise of road transport.  Beeching’s name is to this day still associated with the mass closure of railways.  More information can be found in the two reports that were written by Dr Richard Beeching  and were published by the British Railway Boards these are: The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965).

Dr Richard Beeching. Image courtesy of James.

The BBC produced a TV comedy series entitled “Oh, Doctor Beeching!” which ran from 1995 until 1997. It was set in a small fictional railway station threatened with closure under the Beeching Axe. Below is the first episode of the series.

Portico of Monkwearmouth Station. Image courtesy of Colin.

The stations magnificent portico leads into a grand entrance hall and well preserved booking office, both of which display many of the original features from the station such as the ticket booths, fireplaces and shuttered windows.

Station platform door. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Museum features many personal stories from those who remember an age when Monkwearmouth was the main station for the city and when the building was alive with the hustle and bustle of people passing through. The building has been brought back to life through its displays and its £1million renovated interior. It is a very important feature of the city which displays the railway heritage of Sunderland.

Interactive Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Wagon Shed
The  Wagon Shed which is to the side of the museum and holds two railway wagons, which originate from the early 20th century and which have been carefully restored to their original appearance.
One is a an orange Covered Carriage Truck built at Darlington in 1939 and the earliest surviving example of its kind. This wagon was used to transport cars, and now houses a gleaming 1963 Rover P4 car, on loan from the National Motor Museum Beaulieu (which can be seen in the image below). The other wagon is a 10-ton Goods Brake Van built at Shildon Wagon Works, County Durham in 1916.

The Wagon Shed features interactive displays for all ages and has films of what life was like when these important vehicles were in use and of the modern day uses of the railway on which the station sits.

The Wagon Shed. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Journeys Gallery
The Journeys Gallery explores every aspect of journeys and why people make them. It also features some of the items people to keep entertained, right up to the modern day.  The gallery features a wide variety of themes including ‘A Trip to London’, ‘War Time Journeys’ and ‘Food on the Move’, as well as rare film footage of Sunderland in the early 1900s.

Journeys Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Children’s Gallery
Children can go to the museum and have fun in the specially designed Children’s Gallery. They experience how it feels to be at the control of a train. They can also play dress up and become a fireman, a policeman or even a paramedic. The gallery also features lots of toys and books relating to different transportation systems so they can play and learn  and let their imagination run wild at the same time.

Childrens interactive area . Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

Booking Office
Monkwearmouth Station is brought to life in the original 1860s booking office. Meet David Thompson Hide the station master and learn more about his life in the Station and his home in the rooms above.

Ticket Office. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

Monkwearmouth Shop
The museum shop sells a wide range of transport themed books, toys and stationery.

Platform Gallery
Watch modern day Metro trains pass by the station platform and learn more about the types of trains which used to run through every day. Or take a break and let off some steam and visit the eatery where you can relax whilst watching the trains go by.

Signals Platform. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

Monkwearmouth Station Museum is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Sunderland City Council.

Thomas The Tank Engine. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

Of course no train station exhibit would be complete without the most famous train “Thomas The Tank Engine”. All be it a coin operated children’s ride.

WW1 Poster Gallery Exhibit. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

A new exhibit of WW1 posters is due to open 15 March, 2014 – 2 November, 2014.

WW1 Poster Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The history of Souter Lighthouse

Souter Lighthouse from the South. Image courtesy of dkodigital through creative commons.

Souter Lighthouse is located in the village of Marsden in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. The lighthouse was designed by James Douglass and  was the first lighthouse in the world to be designed and built to use an alternating current (electricity). When it was opened in 1871 it was the most advanced lighthouse of its time.

The foundation stone of the lighthouse was ceremonially laid by Admiral Collinson’s sister Mrs Blain on 9 June 1869. As mentioned in the Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph 9 June, 1869. The contract for building the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage was reported in March of the same year as being £8,000.

The lighthouse was a much needed aid for ships that were navigating in nearby waters on South  Tyneside. The waters have hidden reefs below them meaning ships could easily be damaged by unseen rocks on the coast. In the year of 1860 it is reported that there were 20 shipwrecks along the coastline.  It certainly warrants its reputation as one of the most dangerous coastlines with around 44 shipwrecks per mile of the shores.

Souter Lighthouse. Image courtesy of philip_pky through creative commons.

Souter is located on Lizard Point but takes the name Souter Point which can be found a mile south and was the initial build site of the lighthouse. However it was felt Lizard Point gave better visibility as the cliffs were higher. The name was also kept to avoid confusion with the Lizard Lighthouse in Cornwall.

The Souter’s Light. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.

The lighthouse  had  an 800,000 candle power light which was generated by a carbon arc generator and could be seen for up to 26 miles. Carbon arcs were pioneered in lighthouses by Professor Frederick Hales Holmes in  1840-1875.  One of the Holmes generators built in 1867 and used at Souter is now on display at the Science Museum, London. The video below shows how a carbon arc lights work.

The Souter’s foghorn has seen many changes over the years. When the lighthouse was initially  built it had a single horn which was a clay and iron pipe design facing straight out to sea. This was replaced in 1873 by a pair of twin horns of the same design but this time angled to spread the noise up and down the coast. These were replaced by twin Rayleigh trumpets in the 1920s however in 1953 these were replaced and gave way to the present diaphone fog horns.

The horns produced a five-second blast every 30 seconds in poor weather up until 1988, when Souter Lighthouse was decommissioned. However it continued to serve as a radio navigation beacon up until 1999 when it was finally closed.

The Souter’s Foghorns. Image courtesy of Danny through creative commons.

The foghorns remain in working order and are sounded on special occasions throughout the year, most notably during the monthly Engine Room Day, which is held at the lighthouse during the summer months.

One of the lighthouses most well known keepers was Robert Darling, the nephew of the well known North East heroin Grace Darling, he was a lighthouse keeper at Souter for 24 years between 1873 – 1897.  He continued a tradition of his family of being a lighthouse keeper that dated back to his great grandfather. Born in 1846 Robert never knew his aunt Grace who died young at the age of 27 in 1842.

Grace Darling memorial. Image courtesy of Mags L Halliday through creative commons.

Souter now owned by the National Trust remains in its original operational state except for updates to its lantern and electrics over its lifespan. The engine room, light tower and keeper’s living quarters are all on view to the public. So visitors can experience what life was like to be a Victorian lighthouse keeper.  You can also climb to the top of the 76 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see breathtaking views. 

One of the lighthouse’s bedrooms. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.

There are also two holiday cottages on the site which used to be the lighthouse keepers cottages. However before staying I would check out the fact the lighthouse has been on TV’s “Most Haunted” ghost hunting programme.

The Haunted Souter Lighthouse.

The History of Souter Lighthouse

Souter Lighthouse

The history of The Sunderland Empire Theatre

Sunderland – Empire Theatre. Image courtesy of ndl642m through creative commons.

The Sunderland Empire is one of the largest theatre venues in the North East, with 1,860 seats and the capacity to accommodate 2,200 when all standing positions are occupied.  The auditorium is also one of the few remaining in the UK to have four tiers; the Stalls, the Dress Circle, the Upper Circle and the Gallery. There are also four private boxes on the Dress Circle level, as well as two proscenium (area of the theatre surrounding the stage) boxes on the Upper Circle balcony.

The Theatre, originally called The Empire Palace, was opened 1 July 1907 by  Matilda Alice Powles. She was an English drag impersonator who at the age of of 11 adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became the most famous and well paid music hall male impersonator of her day. Matilda also laid the foundation stone for the theatre on 29 September 1906.

Vesta Tilley dressed as a Toff. Image courtesy of Vintage Lulu through creative commons.

The dome on top of the 90 ft tower section used to have a revolving sphere which beared the statue of Terpsichore, one of the Greek goddesses which represented dance and song. Though this was removed during WW2 due to safety reasons after a bomb fell nearby which rocked the building. You can still see the original statue at the top of the Theatre’s main staircase as well replica was produced and placed on the top of the dome.

Only recently has the Theatre’s dome and tower been  fitted with an LED and floodlight system that illuminates the main entrance  at night.

Empire Theatre at night. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The theatre enjoyed a lot of success from its variety of performances. Though with a decline in travelling theatre in the 1930’s a projection box was added and the Theatre began to host motion pictures.

Portrait of Tommy Steele from the 1962 Preview Film Album. Image courtesy of joanna tidball through creative commons.

One of the biggest success stories of the time to play at the Empire was Tommy Steele (shown in image above) who made his stage debut on a variety show on the 5 November 1956.  He then went on to become  regarded as Britain’s first teen idol and rock and roll star and was dubbed Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley. He reached No.1 with Singing the Blues in 1957 and went on to play at the Empire many times.

Tommy Steele Empire Sunderland. Image courtesy of Bradford Timeline.

Due to the rise of television and cinema the Theatre closed in May 1959, however it reopened its doors in 1960 when Sunderland Council bought it. The Empire then went onto host The Beatles in 1963 during their first UK national tour.

Marlene Dietrich with The Beatles at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Nov. 1963. Image courtesy of Judith.

The Empire is also said to be haunted. One of those said to haunt the Theatre is the Carry On Film actor Sid James who suffered a heart attack during  a performance of The Mating Season on 26 April 1976 and died on the way to hospital. It is rumoured that his ghost occupies the dressing room he used on the night of his death. Comedian Les Dawson after apparently experiencing this refused to perform at the Empire never again.

Sid James in Carry On Cleo. Image courtesy of RubyGoes through creative commons.

Les Dawson. Image courtesy of Dame Agnes Guano through creative commons.

Whilst the ghost of James is said to haunt backstage, the spirits of Vesta Tilley and Molly Moselle are said to haunt the front-of-house areas. Molly Moselle was one of the stage managers for Ivor Novello’s The Dancing Years in 1949.  After leaving the Theatre to purchase a birthday card, she disappeared down a nearby alley and was never seen again. The Empire is known as a ‘comic graveyard’ – rather unfortunately due to the points given above.

Nowadays, the Theatre regularly plays host to large-scale musicals, opera, ballet, dance showcases, amateur productions and one-night shows.

Starlight Express. Image courtesy of David through creative commons.

Another big name to grace the Empires stage is Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren who made her stage debut at the Sunderland Empire.

Helen Mirren. Image courtesy of tompickenfrets through creative commons.

The Theatre was also the regular venue for the University of Sunderland’s graduation ceremonies until the theatre’s refurbishment in 2004. Since then the graduation ceremonies have been held at Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light.

In 2004 the Theatre underwent a £4.5m redevelopment in order to enable it to host West End shows.  This meant that the stage was expanded and the fly tower was heightened. After a 9 month renovation it reopened on 9 December 2004 with a performance of Starlight Express.

The refurbishment also allowed a new production of Miss Saigon to be staged at Sunderland in early 2005.

Miss Saigon ticket.Image courtesy of Pedro Rebelo through creative commons.

On 9 December 2005, the Empire staged a preview performance of the first ever touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, starring Tim Flavin and Robin Askwith. The official European premiere of this production also took place on the following Tuesday, 13 December.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Image courtesy of Luke Gattuso through creative commons.

 In 2007 the Sunderland Empire celebrated its centenary and hosted a massive line-up of big shows including Starlight Express, The Producers, Footloose, South Pacific and the first pantomime since its refurbishment – Cinderella which starred Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney.

The Empire Theatre is still going strong today and is due to host shows; War Horse, The Lion King and Jersey Boys this year. Along with Dirty Dancing,  One Man, Two Guvnors and Comedian Jimmy Carr  in 2015.

Jimmy Carr. Image courtesy of -room100 through creative commons.

Sunderland Empire Theatre

History of the Wearmouth Bridge

Wearmouth Bridge. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

The Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the River Wear in Sunderland and is the last bridge before the River Wear’s mouth opens up into the North Sea.

The first bridge opened on this site in 1796 and since then has been reconstructed twice.

This is the transcription of the engraving on the original Wearmouth Bridge when it opened in 1796. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

The first bridge 1796 – 1929.

This is an illustration of the original bridge during its first year. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative  commons.

The first Wearmouth Bridge was opened in 1796. The foundation stone was laid in September 1793. This was sponsored by the MP Rowland Burdon. The bridge was designed by Thomas Paine following a similar build in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA.

A Plaque on the side of the current bridge says its construction has “proved to be a catalyst for the growth of Sunderland” since it was opened.

Bridge Plaque. Image courtesy of Pimlico Badger through creative commons.

To gain access between Monkwearmouth and Bishopwearmouth previous to the bridge being built meant you had to get a ferry from one side to the other. As the nearest bridge was at Chester-le-Street. The bridge did initially have a toll for pedestrians but this was abolished in 1846.

This document shows the amount of people using the bridge and how much they paid to cross in 1830. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

Song sung about abolition of the bridge foot toll. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

The Wearmouth Bridge was the second iron made bridge built after the Ironbridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire.  The bridge  was over twice as long as the Ironbridge with a nominal span of 240 feet, and only three-quarters the weight. At the time of the bridge being built it was the biggest single span bridge in the world at 72 m. The bridge was opened to traffic on 9 August, 1796 having cost a total of £28,000 to build.

This financial statement details the cost of the original bridge across the river and highlight the massive amount of resources that went into it. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

Picture of Micheal Smith. Image and story below courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

In 1842 Micheal Smith, a American living in Sunderland, jumped off the Wearmouth Bridge for money, he amazingly survived and swam to the riverbank. The crowds who watched started giving him money as a reward and as a result of this the Police arrested him for begging.

A folk song about Micheal Smith who jumped off the Wearmouth Bridge in 1842. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

1805 repair and 1857 reconstruction.

In 1805 the bridge had to be repaired due to heat from the sun causing some of the cross tubes to fall out.

In 1857 up until 1859 the bridge was reconstructed by Robert Stephenson son of George Stephenson the famous locomotive builder and railway engineer.

Statue of Robert Stephenson outside London Euston Station. Image courtesy of martin_vmorris through creative commons.

The bridge was stripped back to its six iron ribs and levelled the hump in the middle by raising the abutments. The bridge was then opened again in March 1859. The toll was then completely abolished in 1885.

The current bridge 1929 – current.

With larger volumes of traffic using the bridge construction began in 1927 to widen it. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson and fabricated by the famous bridge building firm Sir William Arrol & Co in Glasgow ; who also built the Tower Bridge in London as well as the Forth Rail Bridge. The new bridge was built around the old one allowing the bridge to stay open.  It was then re-opened on 31 October 1929 by the Duke of York (who would later become King George VI).

The cost of the current bridge amounted to £231,943 of which £12,000 was spent on dismantling the old bridge. This meant the building of the new Wearmouth Bridge cost £203,948 more than it did initially in 1796.

Logo of Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd on the side of a cane. Image courtesy of Diego Iaconelli through creative commons.

The adjoining railway bridge was built in 1879 on the west side of the bridge and extended the railway south from Monkwearmouth to the centre of Sunderland.

Wearmouth Bridge. Image courtesy of Dan Mullen through creative commons.

Wearmouth Bridge from the South end of the bridge. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

 

Wearmouth Bridge

The history of St Peter’s Church and Monkwearmouth Monastery.

St Peter’s Church & The Monkwerearmouth-Jarrow Monastery. Image courtesy of iknow-uk through creative commons .

St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth was built in 674 AD  by Benedict Biscop and is one of the oldest churches in Britain, where Christians have gathered for more than 1300 years. This is a place of worship and prayer, pilgrimage and mission.

Benedict Biscop was born in 628 AD and  was originally named Biscop Baducing, but after entering religious life he adopted the name Benedict.

At the age of 25 Benedict set out on a pilgramage to Rome where he learnt about Roman Christianity. After returning from Rome Benedict set about encouraging people to follow the religion that he had learnt about whilst on his travels.

During this time many people in  Northumbria followed an Irish form of Christianity. However, following Biscop’s encouragement to the local people to follow the Roman Christian faith meant it became more and popular. It became so influential that in 664 AD  King
Oswiu, at the Synod of Whitby (A gathering of the church council at Whitby Abbey), decided that the kingdom of Northumbria would follow Roman and not Irish religious practices.

Whitby Abbey where the Synod of Whitby occurred. Image courtesy of Ambersky235 through creative commons.

By 666AD Biscop had travelled to Rome again though on this occasion he travelled through France and took monastic vows at the Monastery of Lérins where he spent the next two years.

Following further visits to Rome Benedict returned home to Northumbria in 673 AD where he was keen to build a monastery. King Oswiu’s successor granted Benedict 70 hides of land near the River Wear (now known as Monkwearmouth) on which he built the Monastery of St. Peter.

St. Peters Church 1891. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.

St.Peters  Church features an Anglo-Saxon porch and tower, (as can be seen in the picture above) its other  features include unique carved stones, some of which include intertwined serpents, the consecration cross, ancient burial stones and early glass fragments and stones which date back to Roman times. An outline of the excavated Anglo-Saxon monastic building is in place in the grounds.

St. Peters view from the nave. Image courtesy of Colin through creative commons

At St Peter’s Church visitors can be transported back to the seventh century and learn about the different cultures of that period and learn from its features about the development of Christianity in the Anglo Saxon period. You can also follow a map of the grounds and find out how the landscape and buildings have changed over time.

Carved stone at the entrance of St. Peters with the date it was built 674 AD. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

World Heritage Site. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.

Reasons to visit:

• One of the UK’s first stone built churches.
• Archaeological remains from the 7th Century.
• See original Anglo-Saxon features.
• World Heritage Site. (As shown in image above).

St Peter’s Church