7 'did you know' moments from Sunderland's quirky past

Here's a few facts about Sunderland you might not know.

We've got 7 of them and they're quirky to say the least.

But how many did you know? Have a look at these snippets from the Sunderland Antiquarian Society archives.

Roker Park was used for a trial with a difference in February 1947.

An experiment was held with a football boot which had a chain attached to the studs.

The idea was that it would help players on frost and snow covered grounds.

The results were ‘very satisfactory’ but the idea never caught on.

Sunderland once had a boxing stadium with running water in each corner of the ring.

The 3,000-seater Palace of Punch was the first arena in the world to have the water system to replace the old bucket and bottle routine.

A character called Old Cutty Throat once roamed the streets of Sunderland.

He dressed like a tramp - but owned most of the street he lived in. In the old days, all the town's street lights had to be manually switched on by one person each night.

The 'lamplighter' carried a long pole with a loop on the end. Each night, he would hook the switch on the lights.

The next morning, he would go again to switch them off.

Sunderland once had another business called Binns in Fawcett Street. It wasn't connected to the famous store but it was a confectioners which sold delicious cakes. It was a case of 'man overboard' in 1863 when the massive Channel Fleet visited Sunderland.

Steamers sailed out of the port every few minutes but they were so overladen with people that one person fell out of The Edgar and had to be rescued by a sailor. Sea Road was dubbed the ‘debtors retreat’ in the 1890s because it was out in the wilds – a place where one could hide for a few days without risk of detection. Tell us if you knew any of these facts, or if you have a few of your own.

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