First look inside Hadrian's Tipi as it opens for hot chocolates by the fire pit at Stack Seaburn

Hadrian’s Tipi has pitched up at Stack Seaburn where it will be providing a cosy hideout from the winter weather with its own fire pit.

The tent will be in place on the lower plaza throughout the autumn and winter, providing some much-needed shelter on the seafront.

People will be able to order at the hatches and bars as usual and can take their treats into the tent, which holds around 100 people, to eat and drink.

The tipi was last in the city in 2019 at Keel Square and, the year before, was a seasonal attraction on the former Crowtree site.

Gemma Dishman from Danieli Holdings, who own Stack, said it was great to see it in place in its new winter home.

"We’ve had loads of interest from people as we’ve been installing the tipi this week, so it’s great to see it all set up and ready for people,” she said.

She added: "We have bi-folds on the upper plaza now which helps with the weather, but last year the lower plaza was really cold, so we needed to provide a warmer space.”

The tipi is open now and is available for anyone to use. The venue is entirely walk in now social distancing restrictions have been lifted, meaning there’s no need to book.

Over the coming weeks it will also host seasonal events such as Santa at the tipi.

Lifting of restrictions also means the venue has been able to open to its full capacity of 2,000 people. Last weekend the seafront venue saw its busiest weekend of trading ever since it first opened on the former Seaburn Centre site in September 2020.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

The Sunderland Echo has been on Wearside since 1873, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe.