Rare film footage shows what Sunderland looked like in 1974

This Monkwearmouth film shows everything from the Locarno nightclub to British Ropes Ltd.

More than two minutes of film footage from 1974 has been shared with us by Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

The footage shows children having fun in the play park at Barclay Court as the camera takes a look at the local housing and pubs.

Philip Curtis, from the society, said: “This is part of a significant collection of films that we have.

"Monkwearmouth has changed and Barbary Coast is remembered with a great deal of affection. A lot of people are proud to call themselves Barbary Coasters.”

The Society which was founded in 1900 has a fast-growing membership.

The Society holds extensive archives which have been amassed and donated over the past century by the people of Sunderland.

Although the society’s centre in Douro Terrace can not open for visitors at the moment because of the pandemic, people can still find out more online.

To find out more about the history of Sunderland, visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

What are your memories of Monkwearmouth in the mid 1970s? Did you live there and can you remember the shops you would have visited back then?

Get in touch and tell us more by emailing [email protected]

We would also like to hear your views on other aspects of Sunderland history. Tell us which part of Wearside’s past you would like us to cover by emailing [email protected]

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