Local artist turns Sunderland landmarks into candles - here's where you can get one

Sunderland couple Ben Deacon and Sarah Metcalfe built up a firm following over lockdown with their online store, designing statement wall art with a local twist to brighten up people’s homes.

Their prints depicting their home city and local dialects have proved amongst the most popular in their wider North East range, which is already stocked in the gift shop at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, as well as at their regular stall at Tynemouth Market and in independent stores such as the Baltic shop.

Over the years, the couple have broadened their Stix Studio range to include doormats emblazoned with local phrases, tote bags, light features and more.

And now they’ve teamed up with the Winter Gardens shop for the first in a series of candles celebrating Sunderland landmarks.

The Penshaw Monument candle is now on sale priced £19.95 at the shop, which houses the largest collection of local gifts in the city, in three colour choices of red, white or black.

Ben, whose studio is nearby in Murton Street, said: “We’ve already done some work with the Baltic gift shop and we approached the Winter Gardens to see if they would be interested in a collaboration and we came up with the idea of Penshaw Monument.

"They then asked if we could do other landmarks too, so we’re planning on introducing a Roker Pier and Wearmouth Bridge candle. We already do a range of prints for the Winter Gardens. It’s a really good shop and, as a Sunderland business, we’re over the moon to be working with them, especially as the candles are made just around the corner.”

James Large, business development officer at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, said: “We try to support as many local artists and makers as we can. It’s a case of matching what visitors want with what products are available locally. We already stock a lot of prints, mugs, glass items, books and sea glass jewellery, but this is our first range of locally-produced candles.

"We get a lot of great feedback about our Sunderland-branded products in the shop. There’s a lot of local pride in Sunderland and people want to support the city and its artists.”

The story of Penshaw Monument

Penshaw Monument is a folly, which is a building serving no other purpose than to be seen. And seen it certainly is.

Penshaw Monument isn’t its real name. It’s actually called the Earl of Durham’s Monument after John George Lambton, who was the 1st Earl of Durham. It was built in his honour.

Lambton had been the MP for Durham between 1812 and 1828, he was given a peerage in 1833 and became Governor General of Canada in 1838, he died on the Isle of Wight in 1840.

Four years after his death, the foundation stone was laid by his friend, the Earl of Zetland, on August 28, 1844.

A reported 30,000 spectators watched the stone being laid with “customary Masonic honours”, according to Durham Freemasons.

It is reputedly a copy of the Temple of Hephaestus, in Athens.