I currently work at the University of Sunderland. I have worked in Sunderland for the past five years, and periodically before that over the past few decades. It is not a city I have come to kinow well, although I am familiar with the city centre. In point of fact, Sunderland was given the distinction of city status only recently. The unitary authority of the City of Sunderland includes not only the town of Sunderland, but also the towns of Washinghton, Houghton-le-Spring and Hetton-le-Hole. Sunderland is best described as a cluster of contiguous large villages, with a town centre providing shared services such as shopping and entertainment. Many of the villages were originally 'pit villages', that is, each village existed because of its coal mine, and although the last mines closed down many years ago, there remains a strong 'pit culture' in districts such as Silksworth and Ryhope.
Sunderland is a terminus, not a city through which one travels. Unlike Newcastle which is on the Great North Road stretching from London to Edinburgh, the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh, and an historically-significant sea port, Sunderland has little through traffic, and has consequently had to struggle hard to hold its place in these increasingly connected times. To make matters much worse, its principal industries of coal mining, ship building and other heavy industry including crane manufacture, have all vanished into the past. Even the Vaux Brewery clsoed down, leaving a large and festering ulcer close to the middle of the town. In parts of Sunderland, such as Hendon, Pennywell and Castletown, unemployment remains much higher than the national average, and the politics of the far right, xenophobic National Front achieves a frightening significance (14% of the vote at the most recent local government elections). Racist and xenophobic attacks are far from infrequent. Sunderland is not a cosmopolitan town.
However, the situation is not entirely bleak. Although based in Washington, the Nissan car factory employs a substantial workforce. Doxford Park is a massive business park and induistrial estate in which many national call centres are located. The University is not only a substantial employer, and provides a sizeable multi-ethnic injection into an otherwise seemingly culturally homogenous population, but also operates an art gallery. The City of Sunderland local authority operates one of the most advanced computer networks in the UK, as well as operating an attractive museum and two art galleries. There is an attractive civic park (Mowbray Park) in the centre of Sunderland.
It would be easy to imagine that the history of Sunderland starts only at the dawn of the industrial revolution. In fact, Sunderland dates back to Saxon times.
p.g.h@btinternet.com