Facts about Sunderland



Freemason Phoenix Lodge Hall in Queen Street East, Sunderland, built in 1785 it is considered to be the oldest purpose-built Masonic Temple in the world that has been in continuous use from its foundation and is still used as such today. The Hall is a Grade I listed building.

not far from where Burke & Hare used to operate from
 
The first history of England was written by St Bede charting the invasion of the Romans in 55BCE to the 8th century. St Peters was one of the renowned centres of learning in England at that time.

But my god it was certainly with a selective, distorted and biased viewpoint. I'd trust the welsh version of our past over Bede's personally.
 
The hill at Mill Hill/Hall Farm isnt called Mill Hill - its called Sourmilk Hill
Mill hill is a different one to Hall Farm.

Hallfarm is part of Warden Law hill and was the exact spot where the cart carrying St Cuthberts bones (or undecomposed body :eek:) stopped and refused to move for days. It wasnt until a priest had a vision of a Dun cow they followed one to form Durham.

North-East History Tour: Warden Law & the Legend of the Dun Cow (NZ370507)

Lawrence of Arabia was half Mackem...his mam was from Sunderland
And the father of Peter O'Toole who played Lawrence of Arabia, ran a bookies in Sunderland which is why he became a MLF :cool:

Considering O' Toole was only around 4th choice for the lead role it was a canny coincidence.
 
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But my god it was certainly with a selective, distorted and biased viewpoint. I'd trust the welsh version of our past over Bede's personally.
Of course it is. Like many histories it's written with a purpose in mind, as an instruction manual for rulers that "the thoughtful listener is spurred on to imitate the good"... Bede has issues with the church...and although the fact that it's incomplete is also largely down to Bede's ignorance of what was going on in the day.

It's importance is in its scope and collation as a work of history. But yeah, it was surpassed by later histories.
 
Of course it is. Like many histories it's written with a purpose in mind, as an instruction manual for rulers that "the thoughtful listener is spurred on to imitate the good"... Bede has issues with the church...and although the fact that it's incomplete is also largely down to Bede's ignorance of what was going on in the day.

It's importance is in its scope and collation as a work of history. But yeah, it was surpassed by later histories.

I think I'll just have to agree to differ with pretty much all of that.
 
We have one. It's just got a car factory on top of it. We can reopen it when Nissan leaves :lol:

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not far from where Burke & Hare used to operate from

I've heard that they used to live in Villiers Street or thereabouts.

Also Lewis Carroll spent his holidays in our wonderland. James Herriot as well but he was born here.

Carroll had very strong family ties here. His two sisters lived at Southwick and cousins at Whitburn. Carroll himself lived at Croft-on-Tees for seven years as a child.
It's reputed that Jabberwocky was partly inspired by the Lambton Worm.
 
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