Celebrating the legacy of Sunderland's powerful River Wear Commissioners at new exhibition A Vote of Thanks

Operating from 1717 to 1972, the River Wear Commissioners (RWC) helped Sunderland become the greatest shipbuilding town in the world.

Responsible for the management and improvement of the river, they created its piers, including the landmark Roker Pier, and dredged the river so it could be used by larger ships.

It transformed the area and made the RWC a hugely-influential and powerful driving force in the economy and landscape of Sunderland.

At the height of their power, in 1907, they created the River Wear Commissioners’ Building in St Thomas Street which, with its beautiful oak panelling, ornate wood carvings, granite, marble and sandstone features, is testament to their wealth at the time.

In 2021, its intricate historical features were restored by new owners Adavo who’ve turned it into a business centre, with 50 units housing everything from financial and building firms to counsellors and not-for-profit organisations.

Now, people are being encouraged to discover this hidden city centre gem for themselves with a new exhibition.

Running from May 15-19, A Vote of Thanks features artworks in a range of mediums by artists Zoé Bowler and Gaynor Voice.

Pieces are displayed throughout the Edwardian building and include screen print maps, digital collages, sculptures inspired by the Eye Plan of Sunderland map created by John Raine in 1785, a glass and metalwork sculpture inspired by Roker Pier, silver gelatin prints of the river and dock, paintings of city buildings and a video of the River Wear to symbolise the constant ebb and flow of the river while all around it has changed over the centuries.

Gaynor, who is studying fine art at Newcastle University, said: “Many people don’t know about the RWC, what they did for Sunderland and the legacy they’ve left.

"They eventually were absorbed by the port in the 1970s and over the years the city crashed, but it’s on the up once again with all the regeneration works. Throughout all those changes, the river has kept flowing,” added the artist who used various archives in her research for the project, including Tyne and Wear Archives and Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

Zoé, a glass and ceramics Sunderland University.student who worked alongside National Glass Centre for some of her pieces in the exhibition, said: “I’m not from Sunderland, but studying here and working on this project has really opened my eyes to what it has to offer.”

Kate Roxburgh is from Roxburgh Block Management, one of the tenants in the building, who collaborated with Adavo and the artists for the exhibition.

She said: "The name A Vote of Thanks comes from a speech given by the chairman of the RWC at the opening of the building in 1907. He said he hoped that in 120 years people would sit in the boardroom, raise a glass, and pass ‘a vote of thanks’ for creating such a handsome building.

"Almost 120 years later, it’s really fitting to celebrate that legacy.”

Martin Pearce, sales director at Adavo, said the company are proud to be the custodians of such an historically-important building, which is now more than 50% occupied.

“We often see the older generation walking past and looking up at the building and we encourage them to come in, many have memories of the building over the years,” he said. “However, there are many people in the city who still don’t even realise it’s here, it really has the wow factor when they come in.”

Adavo worked with sister business Clementine to painstakingly restore the property’s features and Martin says they’re glad to have preserved it for future generations.

A Vote of Thanks will be launched on Friday, May 12 with a business launch with refreshments from the nearby Port coffee shop and lifestyle store.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 9am-5pm from Monday, May 15 – Friday, May 19. Just ring the buzzer for entry.