As the lockdown continues, we fondly remember our usually way of life – and look forward to its eventual return.
Right now, the idea of simple things like a trip to the shops or to visit our friends can seems far fetched.
But perhaps not as far fetched as these ‘retro’ pictures from a past that never happened.
Here are nine photos from Sunderland and the coastline that you almost certainly won’t remember – though it might be more fun if you did!
1. The Penshaw Monuments Arcade
Taken in 1898, this is the only surving photo showing the original cluster of decorative monuments on Penshaw Hill. The arcade of ruins dated back to the Roman Emperor Pensorius. Deemed crumbling eyesores, the neighbouring monumae were dismantled, and individual segments sold into private collections, with only Penshaw Prime surviving to this day. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
2. Boxing Day boost
The Boxing Day dip is a tradition on Sunderland's beaches - and in recent years concesssions have been made to those who find the waters at Roker Beach just a bit too nippy. In 2011, the council allowed the use of the famous Floating Tap, formerly of Roker Park, to warm up wary dippers. Each year since, the tap has been ushered from its place in storage on a top secret site, suspended over the sea, and for ten minutes allowed to gush hot water that turns the shoreline pleasantly tepid. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
3. Shopping in the sky
In the heady days of the early '80s, the high street reigned supreme. And when department store Joplings was forced to close for eight months for refurbishment, its management refused to give Binns any opportunity to steal their thunder. Ingeniously, Joplings kept trading as the town's first airborne store, taking to Sunderland's skies in a zeppelin that became known colloquially as the Joppelin. Customers were able to visit via scheduled hot air balloons. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
4. Bit of a drag
By 2004, visitors to the Southwick Carnival had tired of one regular attraction; Gorok the fire-breathing dragon. In this photo from his last year at the event, Gorok snoozes near the crowds while their attention is focused on a demonstration of Sunderland's first wireless modem. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay