Discover a treasure trove of Mackem history at Sunderland Antiquarian Society

From shipyard flags and the grand clock from the old Sunderland Train Station to a ticket from the infamous Victoria Hall disaster, letters written by Sunderland prisoners of war and bound copies of the Sunderland Echo archive – The Sunderland Antiquarian Society in Douro Terrace is bursting at the seams with centuries of Wearside history.

Volunteers at the society are the proud custodians of this vast collection of artefacts, newspapers, documents, photographs and so much more and their encyclopaedic knowledge of the city is an incredible resource for the people of Sunderland, whether it be businesses researching past events to people looking into their family tree or the history of their home.

The largest society of its kind outside of London, the society was founded in 1900 by the elite of the time, wealthy merchants and business owners who were keen to preserve the then town’s rich and colourful history.

Almost 125 years later, it’s still going strong with 1500 members from across the world, including ex-pats from as far afield as The Bahamas and Australia – and a passionate following on Facebook with around a quarter of a million views of its content each month.

"Our members come from all walks of life,” explained secretary Phil Curtis. “When churches, schools, shops and more close, a large proportion of them contact us to donate their documents and artefacts. When anything closes we get it and if anything crops up nationally, because of our large membership, we can bid at auctions for items with a Sunderland connection.

"It really is the jewel in the crown as far as local history is concerned.”

One such example is the bible used in the Masonic procession at the laying of the foundation stone of the very first Wearmouth Bridge in September 1793, which became available at a national auction, and is now on display in the lobby.

More recent additions have include the Royal Coat of Arms from the old council chamber at the Civic Centre as the site is demolished and the Echo archives after our offices moved from Pennywell to North East BIC – they even have the stone Echo paperboys which would stand outside former offices.

The Echo has chronicled Sunderland’s history and daily happenings since it was founded in 1873, making it one of the oldest businesses in the city, and the Antiquarians are also the custodians of the paper’s vast physical photographic archive, totalling around a million images, which they are in the process of digitising.

It’s such a huge collection that the society has practically outgrown its current site, with storage facilities also used elsewhere in the city.

The public are very much welcome to the heritage centre which is open twice a week and, unlike museums, you can get hands on with history and are able to leaf through all manner of documents, from photographs of every ship launched at Sunderland’s world-famous shipyards to every Sunderland AFC match report dating back to 1879.

There’s even a letter from a Sunderland sailor who wrote home about his experiences in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Such is the society’s stellar reputation that they are often bequeathed items in wills, one recent case being from a man who’d collected every programme from every show at the Sunderland Empire, as well as every review – the Empire and the society are keeping that collection alive with the theatre still sending them a programme from each show.

Douglas Smith is the 28th president of the society, a member for 33 years and president for the past 23.

"We’re like a walking Wikipedia,” he said. “Saint Bede (of twin monastery Wearmouth–Jarrow) was England's first historian and we’re continuing that work. We have half of Sunderland’s history here.

"We have a refreshments area downstairs and sometimes people just come in to have a cup of coffee and we don’t mind that at all, it’s like a social service.

"The big force here is nostalgia, people just want to feel their roots in the world. Young people aren’t as interested, but neither should they be, they’re getting on with their lives. They have their whole future to worry about the past.

"But we do get younger people coming along who have a specific interest.”

Phil says they’ve certainly seen a rise in memberships in recent years with more people coming through the doors of this Aladdin’s cave of historical gems.

"I think it’s partly to do with the media and shows like Who Do You Think You Are?,” he said. “But, also, in lockdown people were sat at home and started to take more interest in local history. Our membership is increasing daily.

"We really are the heartbeat of local history.”

How you can visit

The Sunderland Antiquarian Society heritage society, in Douro Terrace, is open to the public every Wednesday and Saturday from 9.30am to 12noon.

You can also visit at other times by prior arrangement by emailing [email protected]

Visit the website at www.sunderland-antiquarians.org or search “Sunderland Antiquarian Society” on Facebook.

Members get even more access to archives and you can become a member for just £20 a year, in which you’ll receive access to the members-only section of the website as well as regular newsletters.

The society also hosts monthly talks on all manner of local history which take place on the third Tuesday of each month in the Bethany Centre, Bede Tower, Ryhope Road.