55-576: Washington is a town in the Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear , England. Historically part of County Durham , it is the ancestral settlement of the local Washington family , from which the first President of the United States George Washington descended. It has a population of 67,085. It is located between Chester-le-Street , Gateshead and South Tyneside . Washington was designated
110-557: 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
165-424: A Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust nature reserve and The Washington 'F' Pit mining museum . The Washington Arts Centre is a converted farm building. The Centre includes an exhibition gallery, community theatre, artist studios and a recording studio. The North East Land, Sea and Air Museums is just north of the old RAF Usworth base. The Nissan plant takes up much of the rest. The municipal airport previously run from
220-521: A new town in 1964. It became part of Tyne and Wear in 1974. The town has expanded dramatically since its designation; new villages were created and areas were reassigned from Chester-le-Street , to offer housing and employment to those moving from adjoining areas and further afield. At the 2011 census , Washington had a population of 67,085, compared to 53,388 in 2001. Early references appear around 1096 in Old English as Wasindone. The etymological origin
275-536: 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
330-417: 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
385-731: 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
440-520: 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
495-489: 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 ,
550-608: A while on road signs and in postal addresses. Land in the south west of the area designated for the town was purchased from the Lambton family, the Earls of Durham . Their estate of the same name includes their ancestral home, Lambton Castle . In 1970, Washington hosted the English Schools Athletic Association (ESAA) annual National Championships, attended by the then Lord Lieutenant of County Durham. On 15 November 1977,
605-475: 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
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#1733094276049660-454: Is disputed and there are several proposed theories for how the name "Washington" came about. Early interpretations included Wasindone ( people of the hill by the stream , 1096), or Wassyngtona ( settlement of Wassa's people , 1183). The origins of the name Washington are not fully known. The most supported theory (especially amongst local historians) is that Washington is derived from Anglo-Saxon Hwæsingatūn , which roughly means "estate of
715-470: Is marked each year by a ceremony at Washington Old Hall. Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell and his wife Margaret, grandparents of Gertrude Bell , lived in Washington New Hall on The Avenue. After Margaret's death in 1871, Sir Isaac set up an orphanage in the house, named Dame Margaret Home in his late wife's honour. It later became a Dr Barnardo's home until World War II. After the war, it was taken over by
770-546: 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
825-616: Is part of the Washington and Sunderland West parliamentary constituency and is represented in the House of Commons by Sharon Hodgson of the Labour Party . There is a major bus station situated at The Galleries, and another at Concord in the north of Washington. The primary provider of transport (buses) in the area is Go North East , with local services as well as connections to Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, and many other towns and cities in
880-556: 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
935-604: The Beeching cuts and to freight in 1991. The now overgrown site is on the disused Leamside Line which connected Durham and Sunderland via the town to Newcastle . The line was lifted and mothballed by Network Rail and partly is in use as an unmarked footpath. In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies called for a scheme funding the reopening of 33 stations (including the town's station) on 14 lines closed by
990-484: 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
1045-438: 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
1100-583: The National Coal Board as a training centre, and then a children's home again. It is now a number of private apartments. Washington's design was developed through the New Towns concept aiming to achieve sustainable socio-economic growth. The new town is divided into 18 residential "villages". It was originally also divided into the 15 numbered districts, which confused many visitors to the area. The numbered districts were abolished in 1983 though survived for
1155-673: 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
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#17330942760491210-441: The noun dūn meaning "hill"; thus making the name Wascandūn , meaning "washing hill". This theory likely originates from the proximity of the river Wear to the actual Anglo-Saxon hall at the time (most likely where Washington Old Hall stands today). This idea is not backed by linguistic evidence. Combining the two Old English words "wascan" and "dūn" would actually have meant " washed hill" and not " washing hill". Also,
1265-632: The 19th century. This later became the Cape/Newalls Works, which produced insulation. The Pattinson Town area of Washington grew up around the chemical works. This area is now the Pattinson South industrial estate and the Teal Farm housing estate. Currently, Washington's main industries include electronics, car assembly, chemicals, electrical goods and government offices at the Town Centre and beside
1320-408: 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
1375-548: The Beeching Axe and seven new-build parkway stations. The first stage of a business case was published in 2022, this involved extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington if Government funding was secured. 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
1430-572: 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
1485-522: The Old English "dūn" meant a range of gently rolling hills, as evidenced by the naming of the North and South Downs in southern England. The Old Hall may have been built by William de Hertburn , who moved to the area in 1183. As was the custom, he took the name of his new estates (Wessyngtonlands), and became William de Wessyngton. By 1539, when the family moved to Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire ,
1540-608: 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
1595-519: The US capital , a state and many other places in the United States are named . Though George Washington's great-grandfather John Washington left for Virginia from Northamptonshire in the East Midlands region of England, Washington Old Hall was the family home of George Washington's ancestors. The present structure incorporates small parts of the medieval home in which they lived. American Independence Day
1650-594: The Usworth Colliery before being renamed Sulgrave. In support of the mines, there was a series of wagonways and later railway lines to transport the coal. The wagonways took coal to Staithes on the River Wear, where it could be loaded onto barges to be taken to the seagoing vessels at Sunderland. Washington was also involved in the chemical industry and the Washington Chemical Works was a major employer in
1705-808: The Wetlands Centre. The Nissan automotive plant is the largest car assembler in Britain and the largest private-sector employer in the City of Sunderland. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , the American tyre production giant, opened a new factory in Washington in 1968, which later became Dunlop and Sumitomo Tyres. However, it closed on 5 July 2006 with the loss of 585 jobs. The site is now occupied by Rolls-Royce Holdings making aero engine blades, and British Aerospace . There are several primary, secondary schools and colleges in
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1760-532: 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
1815-573: 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
1870-553: The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and first president of the United States . Washington's Birthday has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1879. One of the United States, 31 counties, and 241 civil townships are named for George Washington. Some of the locations below are named for George Washington: Places named for George Washington outside of
1925-444: 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
1980-571: The descendants (family) of Hwæsa". Hwæsa (usually rendered Wassa or Wossa in modern English ) is an Old English name meaning " wheat sheaf". Due to the evolution of English grammar , modern English lacks the Germanic grammatical features that permeated Anglo-Saxon English. This causes confusion for many in regard to the name Hwæsingatūn . It is essentially composed of three main (albeit grammatically altered) elements: The combined elements (with all correct conjugations in place) therefore create
2035-498: The dissolution of Sunderland Nissan F.C. , Sunderland itself now has only one non-league side, Sunderland Ryhope Community Association F.C. who now play in the Northern League Division One after a successful promotion campaign in the 2009/10 season. However, Washington F.C. also hail from Washington in the city. List of places named for George Washington This is a list of memorials to George Washington ,
2090-450: 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
2145-518: 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
2200-421: The name Hwæsingatūn with a full and technical meaning of "the estate of the descendants of Hwæsa". However, there has been no evidence found of any chieftain/land owner/farmer in the area by the name of Hwæsa , although any such records from the time would likely have been long lost by now. Another of the popular origin theories is that Washington is in fact derived from the Old English verb wascan and
2255-428: 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,
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2310-642: The region. Major roads run through Washington: the A182 , the A1231 (Sunderland Highway) and the A195 all connect to the A1(M) motorway (which acts as the western boundary of Washington proper) or its feeder, the A194 . Washington Services is situated between Junctions 64 and 65 of the A1(M) , and incorporates a Travelodge . The town's railway station closed to passengers in the 1960s due to
2365-523: 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,
2420-513: The site was closed in 1984 to make way for the Nissan plant. Historically, Washington was heavily involved in the coal industry with a number of pits. One of these in the Albany district of Washington is preserved as the 'F' Pit Museum (Washington colliery shafts alphabetically A to I e.g. the 'F' Pit). A number of the old communities of Washington grew up around the pits (e.g. Little Usworth grew up around
2475-507: The spelling "Washington" had been adopted. The present Hall is an early 17th-century small English manor house of sandstone . Only the foundations and the arches between the Kitchen and the Great Hall remain of the original house. William de Wessyngton (originally William Bayard, later de Hertburne ) was a forebear of George Washington , the first president of the United States , after whom
2530-691: 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
2585-603: The very first SavaCentre hypermarket (a Sainsbury's and British Home Stores joint venture ) opened at The Galleries. By 2005, however, it had been rebranded as a traditional Sainsbury's as the SavaCentre brand was phased out. The town is made up of villages and includes the five ancient townships of Washington. Its villages are: The town also has ten industrial estates, some of which are named after famous northern engineers, such as Parsons , Armstrong , Stephenson , Phineas Crowther, Pattinson , Swan and Emerson . The has
2640-768: The villages of Washington. The North East of England Japanese Saturday School (北東イングランド補習授業校 Hokutō Ingurando Hoshū Jugyō Kō ), a Japanese weekend supplementary school , held its classes in the Oxclose Community School in Oxclose . Washington F.C. is a club based in the Northern League Division Two which is the tenth level of the English game. In 2005, Washington R.F.C was established. The club currently plays in Durham and Northumberland Division 3. Washington
2695-511: 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
2750-461: 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
2805-622: 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
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#17330942760492860-520: 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
2915-513: 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
2970-416: 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
3025-461: 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
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