Travel Guide to Sunderland, Great Britain

Sunderland is one of those old good provincial towns of England. It is located on the North Sea coast and belongs to the Tyne and Wear County. According to historians, first settlers here were Anglo-Saxons, who built Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery near the town. The fragments of the monastery can be seen in the suburbs of the town even nowadays.

The development of the town as an industrial region, which was not only a trading center, but also a port, started in the 14th century. Here started developing such industries as chemical, automotive, electronics, and shipbuilding.

Hilton Castle is an undoubted attraction of the town. The castle was the official residence of the Hiltons until 1746. Later the building was turned into a parish school. Built in 1066, the castle was initially made of wood. In the beginning of XV century it was completely reconstructed in stone. In the XIX century the castle’s design acquired the traits of the Gothic Revival style with its amazing frescoes on the facade depicting the heraldic arms of the former owners.

Among other important monuments of the town are Museum of History of Sunderland, Imperial Theatre, opened in 1907, a winter garden with unusual plants, the northern city gallery and art center, as well as National Exhibition of glass that works here from 1998.