We've unveiled a blue plaque at Sunderland music institution The Bunker

Behind an inconspicuous doorway on Stockton Road, The Bunker lives up to its name: a warren of 17 studios and recording rooms and there’s few musicians in the city who haven’t walked through its corridors.

Now, as The Bunker approaches its 45th year, it has a blue plaque to bang the drum for its significance to the city.

Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Ehthesham Haque, was on hand to unveil the plaque, which is currently in the doorway but will soon be moved to a more prominent position on the building.

It was a particularly special unveiling for the Mayor, who used to work at The Bunker as part of a kickstarter programme.

“This blue plaque is about more than bricks and mortar,” he said. “It’s about the people who built something special here through passion, perseverance and a belief that creativity can change lives.”

The Mayor added: “It’s a real honour to be here today, not only in my official capacity, but as someone who has personally been a part of The Bunker story.

“This building has stood here for well over a century, from its early industrial roots to becoming something far more powerful: a space for creativity, expression and community.

“Since the early 1980s, The Bunker has been a home for music, ideas and people who might not otherwise have found a place to belong.

“The Bunker has never just been about music, it’s been about confidence, opportunity and giving people from all walks of life a chance to find their voice.

“Thousands of young people, musicians, volunteers and community members have passed through these doors, many going on to shape Sunderland’s cultural life far beyond these walls.”

From national icons like The Clash and Billy Bragg to the city’s biggest names in music, such as Leatherface, Field Music, Futureheads and Frankie & Heartstrings, all have walked The Bunker’s narrow corridors lined with guitars, punk paraphernalia and pictures from the hub’s decades of heritage in the city.

It’s 44 years since The Sunderland Musicians Collective moved their Bunker into its current Stockton Road premises where it’s still going strong, teaching more than 250 people each week, aged from four to 82

It brings the joy of music to all: the unemployed, those with mental health issues, those suffering with social, emotional or financial hardship issues and those just wanting to learn a new skill.

The Bunker’s managing director, Kenny Sanger, said he was delighted with the plaque, which was paid for by The Bunker board member, Chris Smith.

“I think most Sunderland bands have come through these doors at some point and the demographic’s changed quite a lot. We have a lot of younger people coming through and lot of older people. So it’s great to see kids, four / five years old coming in for lessons and passing 60 / 70 year olds on their way out of a lesson,” said Kenny.

“The plaque is recognition of The Bunker’s history and heritage and what it’s provided for the community for all these years - and hopefully people get to see it for another 45 years to come.”

The Bunker, the longest-running collective of its type in the country, has been in the site since 1982, but the building has a long, colourful history that predates that, all the way back to 1890.

Built as a bicycle factory, hence its long, thin corridor which would lead to workshops, it went on to house the well-known Milburn's Bakery which closed in the 1970s