The houses on Beresford Park are semi-detached with bay windows. These houses had two entrances, a side door and a main door. The side door would be used for deliveries, orders etc. the main door would be used in the normal way. There is evidence to suggest that these houses did not have servants as there is no room for them, instead residents would have a home help. These houses were occupied by the Victorian middle class.
In Thornhill terrace, numbers 1-17 were built in 1871-1872, and numbers 18-29 were built later on in 1894. All houses are painted cream. There is a preservation order on these houses (they cannot be changed e.g. painted). The doors have detailed decoration around them. These houses have bay windows and an attic for the servants. At the back of the houses there are chimneys, which shows they used coal. These houses were occupied by the Victorian middle class.
Somerleyton was built in Tudor style (it is painted black and white). There were stables for the horses. There was also a room for the coachman, we now know that he would have had a fire in his room. This building was very expensive and had expensive tiles and wooden décor etc.
We can see from map b that in 1897 the area has changed considerably. The rural element has almost disappeared. Where there were once enclosed fields and two large estates, now have a mixture of housing. The housing was detached (large) for example, oaklea, holmlea, westburn, and somerleyton. There were also middle class terraced houses, like Thornhill terrace.
The middle class were split into two groups, one called artisans, the other labouring workers. Artisans were skilled and therefore got paid more, these people lived in Elwin terrace. The labouring workers were unskilled and got paid less, these people lived in Shakespeare terrace. All of these factors are signs of a growing population. There were some people migrating to Sunderland, probably looking for jobs in good industries; mining, glass etc.
There were other buildings in the burnfield park area including the Royal infirmary. This opened in 1867 to provide healthcare for the growing population. It was in line with government legislation (public health act of 1848 and 1875). It cost £18000 and was paid for by the people of Sunderland.
There is a church also, it is an Anglican church. There is a chapel and that could have been Methodist for the working classes.
We can see a school and nursery, which was in line with the Mundella Education act of 1880.
There was a building built to give shelter to the poor and the needy, this was called Almshouses.
Sunderland was provided with a buriel ground and gave individual graves to those who have died.
There were new industries establishing at this time. For example, a growing service and servants for big houses/ middle class.
Tertiary jobs were being made too, like doctors/nurses, teachers, lawyers, shop assistants. (In the late 1880’s sunderland’s first department store was opened).
However, we still had the stoneyard at this time which shows people were still quarrying.
By 1897 we had a well established network of streets and roads. In 1987, Durham road was re-aligned to give a more direct route to sunderland. A tram way was also built and linked on to New Durham Road. The North Eastern railway is still eveident on the map.
In map C thereis hardly any fields left and most of the land has been used up by housing.
Beresford park north was built, (an extension on Beresford Park). These houses are semi-detached and were for the middle class. Oaklea was transformed into the convent of mercy (in 1914/1915) after it was bought in 1909 by the sisters of mercy from George Clark (a shipbuilder). There was a Sunday school was opened next to the Methodist chapel. An institute was built next to the union congregationist church and offered evening classes to workers.
We still have the Bishopwearmouth flour mills and the tramway. The tramway was extended, however, into the Circle route which passed the royal infirmary and the electric tram service began.
A plot of land was bought from John Thornhill in the 1870’s. the builder intended to build a large row of terraced houses. A perpetual land rent was established. This meant the land was really bought for nothing. Instead, the owner of every house in the terrace would pay John Thornhill 6 guineas a year. There were 17 houses built on the land, when these were sold and the builder (John Thornhill) bought the next plot of land. This ended up as a row of houses called Thornhill terrace.
Thornhill terrace was built for the middle class. This was definitely a symbol of wealth. The number of chimney pots indicates the number of rooms in a house, there were many in Thornhill terrace. Downstairs, has an ornate (wooden, decorative) surround over the front door. These houses have a bay window at the front and the others were sash windows. The attic room was in dutch style (dormer window) which is evidence that these residens would have had servants. Also, inside there were signs of wealth. These houses had high skirting boards, ornate plasterwork on the ceilings, a picture-rail, a grand fireplace, and wooden shutters (on bay windows). When gas lighting was introduced, it was used in these houses and even today you can see the marks in the ceiling where original gas lamps hung. They have a long front garden and a yard at the back. Along the back lane (back of the terrace) you can see services. For example, the coal bunker and earth midden. There is also evidence of a horse and carriage being kept in the back. There is a preservation order on these houses.
On map B there are large detached houses (Somerleyton, Westburn House etc.). off Thornhill terrace there is an entrance to Westburn House. These houses werebuilt in an architectural style of previous ages. This house is made from stone, possibly from quarrying in the area as we do have a stoneyard on the map.
Westburn House is Georgian because it’s symmetrical, like Thornhill terrace it has sash windows and servants quarters in the roof space. There’s also a lodge, the man employed to look after the grounds/premises would have lived here.
Somerleyton is the largest of these detached houses. It was built in tudor style and again has bay windows and sash windows. There are rooms in the roof space which would have been the servants quarters and they also had very decorative chimney’s which had to be removed because they were dangerous. This building had a large stable and coach-house (a big sign of wealth) above which there was living quarters for the coachman.
Holm Lea also has an entrance on Thornhill terrace. On the map you can see the route taken by the owners carriage up to Holm Lea House and then going from the rear of the house to the stables. There are both front and back stairs, the back would be used by the servants.
Artisans (skilled working class workers) lived behind Thornhill terrace in the working class houses built there. This is unusual because middle class houses and working class houses are usually built in two separate zones. Sunderland doesn’t follow the national pattern of housing development.
Elwin terrace provided homes for artisans , these buildings are 2 up 2 down. There is decoration around the front doors, bay windows, downstairs and the forecourt in the front. These house had wrought iron railings.
Labouring workers (unskilled working class) lived in Shakespeare terrace , these too have smaller bay windows but upstairs is in the roof space which saved money through building costs. Of course, in the 1941 map, a new row of houses appear (Beresford park). There were electrical appliances to help housewives. People in Beresford park would have a daily help.
The royal infirmary still provided healthcare for people of Sunderland in 1941. this was built in the style of an Indian palace to celebrate Queen Victoria’s new title, “Empress of India” (she did actually visit it). Today it has been demolished, it was closed in 1995 in a cost cutting exercise and flats have been built on that land.
On the 1897 map we can see large middle class detached houses of Somerleyton, Westburn, Oaklea and Holm Lea. When we look at the 1941 map, we can see that Oaklea has become St. Anthony’s convent of mercy. The nuns had bought oaklea in 1909. around 1914/15, the convent was built. Close to it, the Montessori School was built (1922). It was the first school of its kind in the north of England and was visited by maria Montessori herself. In subsequent years to follow, the sisters of mercy bought surrounding detached houses. Somerleyton was bought in 1926 from Fred Taylor, Westburn was bought in 1938 from George Short, and Holm Lea was bought in 1940 from the Vaux sisters.
Today, Sunderland has city status. This area has undergone a massive amount of change. Famous shipyards and monkwearmouth coalpit have closed. Mayfair toffee factory on the map has also closed down. Other industries have replaced these. E.g. Nissan car factory and many jobs provided in extension to Sunderland’s shopping centre. Sunderland university has also extended, with many new buildings on the riverside. The area on the map has many large terraced houses turned into student accommodation. Much of the area on the map in 1941 is still recognisable despite modernisation.
