Content generated during research for two paperback books 'Sunderland and its Origins: Monks to Mariners' (ISBN 13 : 9781860774799) and 'Sunderland: Building a City' (ISBN 13 : 978-1-86077-547-5 ) for the England's Past for Everyone series
From directories and other sources comes evidence of trades and occupations in the port and surrounding area before 1800.
Sunderland cottages are a distinctive local feature.
Derek Rowell at work at Sunderland Maritime Heritage, Church Street East. For more about this extraordinary volunteer effort see here.
Very many of Sunderland's male population were freemasons in the late 18th century.
The coal trade was at the centre of Sunderland's economy throughout the 18th and 19th century.
The coal reserves nearest to the coast could not be reached before deep-mine technologies were developed early in the 19th century.
Well-preserved remains of limekilns on the north bank of the Wear, near the Stadium of Light.
By 1700, the fords used by medieval and early modern travellers had more or less disappeared from the lower reaches of the Wear.
Ropewalks were a striking feature in the 17th and 18th centuries, situated on the edge of town on both north and south sides of the river Wear, one
The first Wearmouth Bridge is a Sunderland icon, commonly used to illustrate local pottery.
