Watch as we visit three Sunderland places where Wearside women made history

What links an old Wearside school, a family home and an MP’s constituency office?

They all played a huge part in the lives of influential women from Sunderland’s history.

Tiktok influencer Kathrine Taylor has found out more for the Echo in another great insight into Sunderland’s past. Kathrine, who posts as North East Nostalgic on social media, has paid tribute to Ida and Louise Cook, Elizabeth Donnison, and Dr Marion Phillips. Watch the video attached to this story for more.

Bravery in the face of the Nazis

Kathrine Taylor and the three Sunderland locations she has spotlighted for their links to Wearside heroines.placeholder image
Kathrine Taylor and the three Sunderland locations she has spotlighted for their links to Wearside heroines.

Second World War heroines Ida and Louise Cook lived in Croft Avenue, and helped Jews escape Nazi Germany.

Elizabeth Donnison used money which she was left in a will to set up the Donnison School in 1798. It was the place where 36 poor girls got an education.

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The Donnison, in Church Walk, is now a thriving community hub which promotes Wearside heritage, including Living History North East which is based at the centre and makes sure the area’s heritage is recorded and heard.

The blue plaque tribute to Ida and Louise Cook.placeholder image
The blue plaque tribute to Ida and Louise Cook.

Foyle Street was the home of Sunderland’s first female MP Dr Marion Phillips’ constituency, who came to power during the first election where women under the age of 30 could vote in 1929.

Find out more from North East Nostalgic on TikTok

You can find out more in Kathrine’s video for Wearside Echoes above.

North East Nostalgic is her TikTok account, which focuses on bringing history to life in Sunderland and elsewhere across the North East. Kathrine has teamed up with Wearside Echoes to share even more memories - and to hear yours too!

The Donnison School.placeholder image
The Donnison School.

So get in touch with your recollections. Email [email protected].

Join us for more trips down Sunderland's memory lane with our free nostalgia newsletter, Wearside Echoes. Visit our newsletter page here to sign up for our free emails and enjoy more pictures and stories from our city's past.

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