History & Heritage
In Sunderland, we're proud of where we came from and we celebrate our past.
Since the 7th century, when St Peter's Church at Monkweamouth was the home of the Venerable Bede, and played a key role in the development of early Christianity, Sunderland has been world famous for many things - shipbuilding, glass making, coal mining to name a few.
Our hard-working people, from the monks of the Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, to the miners and shipbuilders who kept the wheels of industrial Britain moving, are proud of our roots and keen to share our rich heritage.
Did you know there are approximately 77 commemorative blue plaques spread out across the city, which mark buildings, places of interest or influential people with connections to the city. For further information on blue plaques click here
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Did you know?
Perhaps Sunderland's most prominent landmark is Penshaw Monument. It was built in 1844 in honour of the first Earl of Durham, John George Lambton. Penshaw was modelled on Theseion, the Temple of Thesus in Athens.
