73-632: The Queen Alexandra Bridge is a road traffic, pedestrian and former railway bridge spanning the River Wear in North East England , linking the Deptford and Southwick areas of Sunderland . The steel truss bridge was designed by Charles A. Harrison (a nephew of Robert Stephenson 's assistant). It was built by Sir William Arrol between 1907 and 1909 and officially opened by The Earl of Durham , on behalf of Queen Alexandra on 10 June 1909. In 1899
146-557: A Lord Mayor , but was unsuccessful. Although the city does not have a cathedral , as it is located in the Diocese of Durham , it does have Sunderland Minster . Between 1939 and 1945 the Wear yards launched 245 merchant ships totalling 1.5 million tons, a quarter of the merchant tonnage produced in the UK at this period. Competition from overseas caused a downturn in demand for Sunderland built ships toward
219-491: A hymn for baptism . Between Durham City and Chester-le-Street , 6 miles (10 km) due north, the River Wear changes direction repeatedly, flowing south westwards several miles downstream having passed the medieval site of Finchale Priory , a former chapel and later a satellite monastery depending on the abbey church of Durham Cathedral . Two miles downstream, the river is flowing south eastwards. The only road bridge over
292-469: A 300-foot (91 m) main span across the river (weighing 2,600 tonnes), and was the heaviest bridge in the United Kingdom at the time. The bridge was built from each side of the river and the two halves came together at noon on 15 October 1908. In all, a total of 8,500 tonnes of steel, 4,500 tonnes of granite , 60,000 tonnes of red sandstone from Dumfries , and 350,000 bricks were used. The total cost
365-504: A deep, wooded gorge, from which several springs emerge, historically used as sources of potable water . A few coal seams are visible in the banks. Twisting sinuously in an incised meander , the river has cut deeply into the "Cathedral Sandstone" bedrock. The high ground (bluffs) enclosed by this meander is known as the Peninsula , forming a defensive enclosure, at whose heart lies Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral and which developed around
438-462: A general northeasterly direction, demonstrating many fluvial features of a mature river, including wide valley walls, fertile flood plains and ox-bow lakes. Bridges over the river become more substantial, such as those at Sunderland Bridge (near Croxdale ), and Shincliffe . At Sunderland Bridge the River Browney joins the Wear. When it reaches the city of Durham the River Wear passes through
511-536: A heart attack whilst on stage in 1976. Sunderland is home to a Nissan car manufacturing plant . Over recent years Sunderland city centre has seen a re-development of the Sunniside area taking place, with new bars, cafes and retailers opening their doors on the Eastern side of the city. The Sunniside area now includes an Empire Cinema, Gala Casino and many surrounding eateries. The Bridges Shopping Centre covers much of
584-417: A hospital radio station – Radio Sunderland for Hospitals , and can receive other north-eastern independent radio stations Hits Radio North East , Greatest Hits North East , Capital North East , Heart North East , Nation Radio North East and Smooth North East . The current regional BBC radio station is BBC Radio Newcastle . The city is covered by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees , which has
657-731: A number of glass sculptures. Sunderland has produced a modest number of musicians that have gone on to reach international fame, most notably Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics . Kenickie , which featured Lauren Laverne on vocals, also achieved a top ten album and wide critical acclaim in the mid-to-late 1990s. In recent years, a thriving underground music scene in Sunderland has helped the likes of Smalltown Heroes , The futureheads , Field Music , and more recently Frankie & The Heartstrings gain national recognition. Other famous Sunderland musicians include punk rockers The Toy Dolls , who broke
730-527: A painting by William Andrews Nesfield showing a fisherman in the river was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838, along with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon . City of Sunderland Sunderland ( / ˈ s ʌ n d ər l ə n d / ), also known as the City of Sunderland , is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear , England. It
803-520: A regional office in the university's Media Centre. Sunderland was named "The Facebook Capital of Britain" by the BBC in February 2010. The statistics showed that people in Sunderland were more likely to log on to the social networking site than anywhere else in the UK. The only professional sporting team in Sunderland is the football team, Sunderland A.F.C. , which was formed in 1879, and plays home games at
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#1732852413526876-477: A salmon leap and fish counter, monitoring sea trout and salmon , and is on the site of a former ford. Considering that 138,000 fish have been counted migrating upriver since 1994, it may not be surprising that cormorants frequent the weir. The river's banks also lend their name to a hymn tune Elvet Banks in the 2006 hymnbook of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , used (appropriately) for
949-489: A township independent of Sunderland. Carroll's connection with Sunderland, and the area's history, is documented in Bryan Talbot 's 2007 graphic novel Alice in Sunderland . More recently, Sunderland-born Terry Deary , writer of the series of Horrible Histories books, has achieved fame and success, and many others such as thriller writer Sheila Quigley , are following his lead. The Salford-born painter, L. S. Lowry ,
1022-450: Is a spate river and has been heavily influenced by previous government funded drainage schemes (gripping) with a view to improving marginal agricultural land. The river rises very quickly and has experienced much heavy flooding resulting in enhanced river bank erosion. The river flows eastwards through Weardale , one of the larger valleys of west County Durham , subsequently turning south-east, and then north-east, meandering its way through
1095-475: Is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham . It was granted city status in 1992, the Ruby Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II 's accession to the throne. The borough had a population of 575,400 at the time of the 2011 census, with the majority of the population (274,286) residing in Sunderland, making it the largest settlement in the north east of England. The metropolitan borough
1168-479: Is considered that most of the mineralisation occurred during the Carboniferous period. It is thought that the course of the River Wear, prior to the last Ice Age , was much as it is now as far as Chester-le-Street . This can be established as a result of boreholes, of which there have been many in the Wear valley due to coal mining . However, northwards from Chester-le-Street, the Wear may have originally followed
1241-522: Is generally understood to be Celtic. The River Vedra on the Roman Map of Britain may very well be the River Wear. The name may be derived from Brittonic *wejr (< *wẹ:drā ), which meant "a bend" (cf. Welsh -gwair- ). An alternative but very problematic etymology might involve *wẹ:d-r- , from a lengthened form of the Indo-European root *wed- "water". Also suggested is a possible derivation from
1314-546: Is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland , spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns including Washington , Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring , as well as the surrounding villages and hamlets. The district also forms a large majority of Wearside which includes Chester-le-Street in County Durham . The district was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and
1387-689: Is operated by an American consortium who occasionally work it for specimen minerals. Minco are currently exploring the North Pennines and the upper Wear catchment for potential reserves of zinc at lower levels. Ironstone which was important as the ore was won from around Consett and Tow Law , then around Rookhope , while greater quantities were imported from just south of the southerly Tees in North Yorkshire . These sources were in due course depleted or became uneconomic. The former cement works at Eastgate , until recently run by Lafarge ,
1460-556: Is the largest theatre in the North East, reopened in December 2004 following a major redevelopment allowing it to stage West End shows such as Miss Saigon , Starlight Express and My Fair Lady , all of which have been performed at the Empire. The Empire is the only theatre between Leeds and Glasgow large enough to accommodate such shows. It has also played host to an annual season from
1533-461: The A19 trunk road , the river enters the suburbs of Sunderland . The riverbanks show further evidence of past industrialisation, with former collieries, engineering works and dozens of shipyards . In their time, Wearside shipbuilders were some of the most famous and productive shipyards in the world. The artist L. S. Lowry visited Sunderland repeatedly and painted pictures of the industrial landscape around
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#17328524135261606-701: The Alston Block , an upland area raised up during the Caledonian orogeny . The Devonian age Weardale Granite underlies the headwaters of the Wear and the whole Alston Block, but does not appear at outcrop but was surmised by early geologists, and subsequently proven to exist as seen in the Rookhope borehole. It is the presence of this granite that has retained the high upland elevations of this area (less through its relative hardness, and more due to isostatic equilibrium) and accounts for heavy local mineralisation, although it
1679-484: The Birmingham Royal Ballet for over ten years. The Royalty Theatre is the home of the amateur Royalty Theatre group who also put on a number of low-budget productions throughout the year. Renowned film producer David Parfitt belonged to this company before achieving worldwide fame and is now a patron of the theatre. The Empire also played host to the final performance of comic actor Sid James , who died of
1752-545: The City of Sunderland , specifically the southern/south-eastern edge of the new town of Washington . At Fatfield the river passes beneath Worm Hill , around which the Lambton Worm is reputed to have curled its tail. Already the riverbanks are showing evidence of past industrialisation, with former collieries and chemical works. A little further downstream the river passes beneath the Victoria Viaduct, (formally called
1825-492: The Labour Party : In the 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections, the former Sunderland South constituency was the first to declare the results, and the tradition was continued by the new Houghton and Sunderland South seat in 2010 and 2015. Sunderland is twinned with two cities: Essen , Germany, and Saint-Nazaire , France. It also has Friendship Agreements with Washington, D.C. , US; and Harbin and Nanjing , both in
1898-563: The National Glass Centre . A riverside sculpture trail runs alongside this final section of its north bank. The St Peter's Riverside Sculpture Project was created by Colin Wilbourn , with crime novelist and ex-poet Chaz Brenchley . They worked closely with community groups, residents and schools. As the river approaches the sea, the north bank at Roker has a substantial residential development and marina. A dolphin nicknamed Freddie
1971-549: The North Eastern Railway and the Sunderland Corporation agreed to build the bridge to improve communications across the river and to connect the coalfields of Annfield Plain and Washington with Sunderland's south docks. Before the completion of the bridge, road traffic crossing the river had to use one of two ferries which crossed below near to where the bridge is today. As the bridge was due to be built near to
2044-506: The Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham , to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland . At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers. The Wear wends in a steep valley through the cathedral city of Durham and gives its name to Weardale in its upper reach and Wearside by its mouth. The origin behind the hydronym Wear is uncertain but
2117-673: The People's Republic of China . Sunderland and Washington share historical links, as the ancestors of the first President of the United States of America, George Washington , lived in Washington Old Hall , which is within the municipal boundaries of Sunderland. The Mackem accent and dialect is often mistaken for Geordie by people not from the region, as the two tongues sound similar in pronunciation and diction. The Sunderland dialect also has several variations between different areas of
2190-408: The 49,000-seat-capacity Stadium of Light . Sunderland also has the north-east's top women's football team, Sunderland A.F.C. Women , who have been financially separated from the men's team since summer 2005. They currently play in the top tier of English women's football, FA Women's Premier League National Division , despite their financial struggles. Sunderland's longest stadium occupancy so far
2263-606: The Bailey into Durham city. That area is now a UN World Heritage Site . Beneath Elvet Bridge are Brown's Boats (rowing boats for hire) and the mooring for the Prince Bishop, a pleasure cruiser. The River Wear at Durham was featured on a television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of Northern England . In June each year, the Durham Regatta , which predates that at Henley , attracts rowing crews from around
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2336-906: The Brittonic root *wei- , which is thought to have meant "to flow". The name Wear has also been explained as being an ancient Celtic name meaning "river of blood". It is possible that the Wear has the same etymology as the River Wyre in Lancashire , the Quair Water in Scotland, the Weser in Germany and the Vistula in Poland. The Wear rises in the east Pennines, high on the moors of
2409-572: The Labour Party, three councillors resigned the whip at the end of 2006 and, joined by one of the Liberal Democrat members formed an independent group, which is the minority party in opposition. At the elections of May 2007 , Labour lost three seats to the Conservatives, whilst former Labour Mayor Julianna Heron lost to an independent: the same person who had defeated her husband in 2003 and who
2482-608: The Passenger Transport Authority is exercised not by committees of directly elected county councillors but by nominees chosen by the elected members of the five district authorities. Sunderland has not had a separate police force since 1967, when the Borough of Sunderland Police merged with Durham Constabulary. The city is now part of the Northumbria Police Force area. This force was set up in 1974, and covers
2555-608: The River Wear is associated with the history of the Industrial Revolution . Its upper end runs through lead mining country, until this gives way to coal seams of the Durham coalfield for the rest of its length. As a result of limestone quarrying, lead mining and coal mining, the Wear valley was amongst the first places to see the development of railways. The Weardale Railway continues to run occasional services between Stanhope and Wolsingham . Mining of lead ore has been known in
2628-585: The Victoria Bridge). Named after the newly crowned queen, the railway viaduct opened in 1838, was the crowning achievement of the Leamside Line , then carrying what was to become the East Coast Main Line . A mile to the east is Penshaw Monument , a local iconic landmark. As the river leaves the environs of Washington, it forms the eastern boundary of Washington Wildfowl Trust . Having flowed beneath
2701-559: The Wear Valley still in County Durham to the North Sea where it outfalls at Wearmouth in the main locality of Monkwearmouth on Wearside in the City of Sunderland . Prior to the creation of Tyne and Wear , the Wear had been the longest river in England with a course entirely within one county. The Weardale Way , a long-distance public footpath, roughly follows the entire route, including
2774-534: The Wear between Durham and Chester-le-Street is Cocken Bridge. As it passes Chester-le-Street , where the river is overlooked by Lumley Castle , its flood plain has been developed into The Riverside , the home pitch of Durham County Cricket Club . Passing through the Lambton Estate and near Lambton Castle the river becomes tidal, and navigable. On exiting the Lambton estate the river leaves County Durham and enters
2847-505: The Wear passes below Auckland Park and Auckland Castle , the official residence of the Bishop of Durham and its deer park . A mile or so downstream from here, the Wear passes Binchester Roman Fort , Vinovia , having been crossed by Dere Street , the Roman road running from Eboracum (now York ) to Coria (now Corbridge ) close to Hadrian's Wall . From Bishop Auckland the River Wear meanders in
2920-519: The area of the headwaters of the Wear since the Roman occupation and continued into the nineteenth century. Spoil heaps from the abandoned lead mines can still be seen, and since the last quarter of the twentieth century have been the focus of attention for the recovery of gangue minerals in present mining, such as fluorite for the smelting of aluminium . However, abandoned mines and their spoil heaps continue to contribute to heavy metal mineral pollution of
2993-532: The city centre and was opened in 1988. It is currently owned by Land Securities Group after they purchased the site in 1990. The centre receives over 26 million shopping visits every year. Sunderland has two local newspapers: the daily evening tabloid, the Sunderland Echo , founded in 1873, and the Sunderland Star— a free newspaper . It also has its own community radio station Spark Sunderland , and
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3066-573: The city, as demonstrated when the hoax tapes purporting to be of the Yorkshire Ripper were analysed. The tapes were made by a man who came to be known as Wearside Jack , and were thought by linguistic experts to be made by someone specifically from the Castletown area of Sunderland. When the perpetrator, John Humble was eventually caught he confirmed that he did indeed attend school in the Castletown area of Sunderland in his childhood. Lewis Carroll
3139-491: The council was Labour 66, Conservative 6 and independent 3. After the 2019 Sunderland City Council election , Sunderland became one of the few British councils with all five major parties represented. The council make up was Labour 51, Conservative 12, Liberal Democrats 8, UKIP 3 and Green Party 1. Since major boundary changes in 2010, there are three constituencies covering the City of Sunderland, all currently regarded as safe for
3212-412: The current route of the lower River Team . The last glaciation reached its peak about 18,500 years ago, from which time it also began a progressive retreat, leaving a wide variety of glacial deposits in its wake, filling existing river valleys with silt, sand and other glacial till . At about 14,000 years ago, retreat of the ice paused for maybe 500 years at the city of Durham . This can be established by
3285-502: The end of the last Ice Age , although it almost or entirely lacks the particular rarities that make up the unique "Teesdale Assemblage" of post-glacial plants. This may, in part, be due to the Pennine areas of Upper Weardale and Upper Teesdale being the site of the shrinking ice cap , or to the difference in the surface geology, with none of the 'sugar limestone' outcrops which in Teesdale are
3358-450: The end of the 20th century. The last shipyard in Sunderland closed in 1988. St Benedict Biscop was adopted as the city's patron saint in March 2004. The Local Government Act 1972 created two different two-tier systems for local administration, with different division of functions. As a metropolitan authority, Sunderland retained responsibility for waste collection, although disposal of
3431-473: The extraction of ganister which was used in the steel process at Consett. Around Frosterley , limestone, sand (crushed sandstone) and Frosterley Marble have been worked and the Broadwood Quarry recently expanded into ground held on an old licence. The crushing plant continues to operate. A quarry at Bollihope was also mooted on a similar basis but plans seem to have been discontinued. Frosterley Marble
3504-518: The first fought under the new boundaries, saw little change in the political representation of the city as a whole, with 61 Labour, 12 Conservative, and 2 Liberal Democrat councillors elected. The Conservative party won all three seats in a new ward whose boundaries spanned several old wards. The Liberal Democrats stronghold ward was abolished entirely, and became part of four new wards, and the Liberal Democrat councillors elected in 2004 were from two very different areas. Following further disputes within
3577-619: The home of many of those plants. The glaciation left behind many indications of its presence, including lateral moraines and material from the Lake District and Northumberland , although surprisingly few drumlins . After the Ice Age, the Wear valley became thickly forested, however during the Neolithic period and increasingly in the Bronze Age , were largely deforested for agriculture. Much of
3650-471: The length of Killhope Burn. There are several towns, sights and tourist places along the length of the river. The market town of Stanhope is known in part for the ford across the river. From here the river is followed by the line of the Weardale Railway , which crosses the river several times, through Frosterley , Wolsingham , and Witton-le-Wear to Bishop Auckland . On the edge of Bishop Auckland
3723-576: The lower-deck continues as a valuable road link. In the Second World War , the upper-deck was used as a searchlight and anti-aircraft platform. The railway and decking at each end of the bridge were finally removed near to the end of the 20th century. A large free standing brick and stone viaduct fragment remains on the north side of the Bridge. From 21 March 2005, the bridge was temporarily restricted to southbound traffic whilst repainting and repair work
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#17328524135263796-428: The only Liberal Democrat as a "Liberal/Democrat" group. Three councillors resigned from the Labour Party following disputes over the selection of candidates for the 2004 elections. Two became independent members; one joined the Liberal Democrat party, becoming group leader after the 2004 municipal elections. The reorganisation of electoral areas saw major changes in all but two wards, but the elections of 10 June 2004,
3869-569: The region for races along the river's course through the city. Seven smaller regattas and head races are held throughout the rest of the year, which attract a lower number of competitors. There are 14 boathouses and 20 boat clubs based on the Wear in Durham. Two weirs impede the flow of the river at Durham, both originally created for industrial activities. The Old Fulling Mill was an archaeological museum. The museum moved to Palace Green in July 2014. The second weir, beneath Milburngate Bridge, now includes
3942-405: The river and its tributaries. This has significance to fishing in times of low flow and infrastructure costs as the River Wear is an important source of drinking water for many of the inhabitants along its course. Fluorite is another mineral sporadically co-present with Weardale Granite and became important in the manufacture of steel from the late 19th century into the 20th century. In many cases
4015-701: The river. Four bridges cross the Wear in Sunderland: the Northern Spire Bridge to the west, the Queen Alexandra Bridge , and the Wearmouth rail and road bridges in the city centre. On both banks at this point there are a number of modern developments, notably Sunderland A.F.C. 's Stadium of Light and others belonging to the University of Sunderland ( St. Peter's Campus ; Scotia Quay residences) and to
4088-523: The shadow of Penshaw Monument , was attended by 30,000 visitors and featured Foo Fighters , Kasabian , KT Tunstall , Chemical Brothers and The Black Eyed Peas . The Empire Theatre sometimes plays host to music acts. In 2009, it hosts Jane McDonald and The Drifters among others. The Sunderland Stadium of Light has hosted regular concerts since 2009, including the likes of Oasis , Take That , Coldplay , Kings of Leon and Red Hot Chili Peppers . The Sunderland Empire Theatre , opened in 1907,
4161-519: The steel industries were able to take fluorite from old excavation heaps. Fluorite explains why iron and steel manufacture flourished in the Wear valley , Consett and Teesside during the nineteenth century. Overlying are three Carboniferous minerals: limestone , Coal Measures as raw materials for iron and steel manufacture, and sandstone , useful as a refractory material . The last remaining fluorite mine closed in 1999 following legislation re water quality. A mine at Rogerley Quarry , Frosterley,
4234-434: The successful shipyards of the Wear, a clause in the North Eastern Railway Act 1900 ( 63 & 64 Vict. c. clxii) required that only one arch span be built over the river to give a clearance of 85 ft (26 m) above high water level. The approaches to the bridge were completed in 1907 by the Mitchell Brothers of Glasgow . The steel bridge comprises three 200-foot (61 m) spans (weighing 1,000 tonnes each), plus
4307-594: The top five of the charts with " Nellie the Elephant " in December 1984; the melodic hardcore punk band Leatherface ; the lead singer of dance outfit Olive , Ruth Ann Boyle , who achieved a UK chart-topper with " You're Not Alone " in May 1997 and has gone on to work with fellow chart-toppers Enigma ; and A Tribe of Toffs , who made number 21 with their cult hit " John Kettley is a Weatherman " in December 1988. On 7 and 8 May 2005, Sunderland played host to BBC Radio 1 's Big Weekend concert—the UK's largest free music festival. The event, held at Herrington Country Park in
4380-405: The types of glacial deposits in the vicinity of Durham City. The confluence of the River Browney was pushed from Gilesgate (the abandoned river valley still exists in Pelaw Woods), several miles south to Sunderland Bridge ( Croxdale ). At Chester-le-Street, when glacial boulder clay was deposited blocking its northerly course, the River Wear was diverted eastwards towards Sunderland where it
4453-414: The waste was a county function, and for education. In 1986, when Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County Council was abolished, most county functions became the responsibility of the constituent districts, whilst new joint boards assumed the co-ordinating roles in the county. Thus control over economic development, of the Museums and Archive Service, of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority and of
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#17328524135264526-461: The whole of Tyne and Wear plus the much larger but much less densely populated county of Northumberland . The city is unparished, except for Hetton-le-Hole which is a civil parish , and which has a town council . The city has had a Labour -controlled council since 1974, and often before that. After the elections of May 2003 the political structure was 63 Labour, 9 Conservative , and 1 independent . The only Liberal Party councillor sat with
4599-416: Was a frequent visitor to the area. He wrote most of Jabberwocky at Whitburn as well as " The Walrus and the Carpenter ". Some parts of the area are also widely believed to be the inspiration for his Alice in Wonderland stories, such as Hylton Castle and Backhouse Park. There is a statue to Carroll in Whitburn library. Lewis Carroll was also a visitor to the Rectory of Holy Trinity Church, Southwick; then
4672-424: Was a frequent visitor to the marina, attracting much local publicity. However, concern was expressed that acclimatising the dolphin to human presence might put at risk the safety of the dolphin regarding the propellers of marine craft. The south bank of the river is occupied by the Port of Sunderland. The River Wear flows out of Sunderland between Roker Pier and South Pier, and into the North Sea . An engraving of
4745-464: Was a frequent visitor, staying in the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland. Many of his paintings of seascapes and shipbuilding are based on Wearside scenes. The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art on Fawcett Street and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens showcase exhibitions and installations from up-and-coming and established artists alike, with the latter holding an extensive collection of Lowry's work. The National Glass Centre on Liberty Way also exhibits
4818-468: Was based on an inlier of limestone. The site recently gained planning permission to form a visitor complex showcasing an eco-village using alternative technology, including a "hot rocks" water heating system. The underlying granite has been drilled and reports confirm their presence. Bardon Aggregates continue to quarry at Heights near Westgate and operate a tarmac "blacktop" plant on site. Mineral extraction has also occurred above St John's Chapel with
4891-527: Was carried out on the 96-year-old structure, which was due to take almost a year to complete. It reopened for both lanes of traffic on 12 October 2006, having been partly closed for 18 months and costing £6.3m in repairs. Previously classified as part of the A1231 , the road across the bridge was reclassified as the B1539 when the Northern Spire Bridge was opened to traffic on 29 August 2018. River Wear The River Wear ( / ˈ w ɪər / , WEER ) in Northern England rises in
4964-422: Was forced to cut a new, shallower valley. The gorge cut by the river through the Permian Magnesian Limestone ( Zechstein limestone) can be seen most clearly at Ford Quarry. In the 17th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica (1990), reference is made to a pre-Ice Age course of the River Wear outfalling at Hartlepool . The upland area of Upper Weardale retains a flora that relates, almost uniquely in England , to
5037-410: Was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of several districts of County Durham – Washington Urban District , Houghton-le-Spring Urban District and Hetton Urban District – with the County Borough of Sunderland . The borough was granted city status on 20 May 1992 to celebrate the Queen's Ruby Jubilee . At the Queen's Golden Jubilee the city petitioned to be allowed
5110-416: Was in turn defeated by him in 2004. The Conservative party made further significant gains in the 2008 election , gaining five additional seats. The election in 2010 , held at the same time as the general election saw Labour gain four seats to increase their majority. In the 2011 local elections Labour gained a further four seats from the Conservatives. After the 2015 General election the composition of
5183-411: Was of Roker Park for 99 years beginning in 1898, with relocation taking place due to the stadium's confined location and the need to build an all-seater stadium. The initial relocation plan had been for a stadium to be situated alongside the Nissan factory, but these were abandoned in favour of the Stadium of Light at Monkwearmouth on the site of a colliery that had closed at the end of 1993. Since
5256-469: Was used extensively in church architecture, there are local examples in St Michael's church Frosterley and Durham Cathedral . Rising in the east Pennines , its head waters consist of several streams draining from the hills between Killhope Law and Burnhope Seat . The source of the river is traditionally held to be at Wearhead , County Durham at the confluence of Burnhope Burn and Killhope Burn. The Wear
5329-451: Was £450,000 (equivalent to £46.6 million in 2016). The bridge also housed gas and water mains and in later years, high voltage electricity cables and a pumped rising-main for sewage . About six million tonnes of coal passed over the upper-deck annually for export, but the trade rapidly declined at the end of the 1910s. For the last few years only one train per day passed over the bridge. The last goods train ran over in 1921, but
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