Gruesome goings-on at Bull Lane in the heart of Old Sunderland, the thoroughfare which features a pub with a smugglers tunnel

Bull Lane lies off High Street East, between the excellent Eastend Florists and the recently closed Clarendon, possibly the oldest pub in Sunderland. The Clarendon dates back to 1724 and has a cellar containing a smugglers’ tunnel. Let’s hope the bar returns.

We can only speculate, perhaps romantically, about goings-on around Bull Lane over the centuries. A friend of mine has an unprintable story from the 1990s. It’s very amusing, but can’t be reasonably considered as an historical event.

However, given its smallness, darkness and proximity to river and pub, Bull Lane might well have been a venue for a spot of press-ganging. Sunderland’s greatest naval hero Jack Crawford, for example, was press-ganged in 1796.

Who knows? Jack could have been bundled down Bull Lane and lobbed aboard a nearby vessel (press-ganging fell into disuse after Napoleon had been sorted out in 1815).

The lane is narrow, only a few metres long and gives pedestrian access between High Street East and Low Street, where there is a picturesque view of the Wear.

Previously there had been a number of similar lanes in the East End. On the other side of the florist’s was Neil’s Passage. The sign can still be seen, but Neil’s Passage was blocked some years ago.

Bodlewell Lane, after which apartment block Bodlewell House is named, was another to be demolished.

But why is it called Bull Lane?

Phil Curtis of Sunderland Antiquarians, whom we thank, says the 1732 rate book calls the thoroughfare Hedley’s Lane, after Thomas Hedley who bought 143 High Street East (Clarendon) in 1724. It probably changed names to Bull Lane when Hedley died.

Some speculate that cattle were led up there to a market. However, the lane is fairly steep. Cattle usually show little enthusiasm for walking sharply uphill; less so if stairs are involved. The passage is also narrow.

The most likely and favoured explanation is that bull baiting took place at either end of the lane. The “sport” of bull baiting was popular in England from Medieval times.

This serene pastime involved a bull being tied to an iron stake which was bolted into the ground.

Dogs, eventually known as bulldogs, then set about the bull, aiming to pin it down by grabbing their snouts, the most sensitive part of the bull’s anatomy, and wrestling the animal until the dogs had turned it on its side.

If this compromised the welfare of the bull a tad, it didn’t do much for the dogs either. They risked being gored, trampled under-hoof, or severely bitten. However, before animal welfare legislation or, more saliently, telly, audiences were enthralled.

The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 didn’t quite do what it said on the tin. It gave protection to all cattle; except bulls. Too much fun was being had.

Bull-baiting was finally outlawed by the spoilsport Cruelty to Animals Act 1835. By which time the name of Bull Lane was established.

Workers digging nearby ground a few years back unearthed bulls’ teeth, providing further evidence of a less-than-delightful past, as well as a charming necklace.