This popular pub had an unusual attraction in the 1990s and we're wondering if it is still there
‘We are flushed with success every time a customer spends a penny’
One pub in the city of Sunderland had possibly the most unusual tourist attraction in the North East and we want to know if it is still there.
Hetton pub The Three Tuns had a quirky addition to its features in the summer of 1992 - the wishing toilet.
The idea was dreamed up by landlady Margaret Wedderburn after coins were found at the bottom of the “fountain” one morning 34 years ago.
A Sunderland Echo report at the time said: “When drinkers say they’re going for a “tinkle” they’re probably talking about making a wee donation to charity as much as anything else.
Money from the toilet was being donated to the Children’s Heart Foundation at Newcastle Freeman’s Hospital.
Margaret said in 1992: “I think it’s fair to say that we are flushed with success every time a customer spends a penny.”
We also asked the locals what they thought of the wishing toilet.
Regular Dave Close, of Bradley Avenue, Houghton, said at the time: “My mother’s always telling me going to the pub is like flushing money down the drain.”
But we want to know if the wishing toilet still has pride of place in the Three Tuns or did the idea go down the pan. Get in touch and tell us more.
If you need more of an idea of what was happening in Sunderland at the time, all of this also made the news that year.
Wearside postman Billy Dunn, a popular figure on his daily rounds in Sunderland, retired after notching up an impressive 20 years’ service.
In that time he must have delivered hundreds of thousands of letters. And whether it was good news or bad, he always posted each with a smile.
The first buildings of Doxford International business park took shape on the outskirts of Sunderland.
The office units were part of phase one of a project which, it was hoped, would create 5,000 jobs for Wearside.
Three thousand Nissan workers pledged to take part in Sunderland’s Macmillan Mile challenge by doing mile-long walks. They were joining other people from across the city in supporting the cause, including schools, workforces and playgroups.
Car valve manufacturer TRW was involved in plans to employ 200 people at Washington after the new plant at Stephenson estate was officially opened. That was on top of the 92 workers already there.
A survey showed Sunderland to be the sickest city in the region. At 33 per cent, it had the highest proportion of people with long term limiting illnesses.
Get in touch with your memories of Wearside memories from the early 1990s, especially if you can tell us more about the Three Tuns wishing toilet.
Tell us more about it by emailing [email protected]