The Sunderland house built on stilts, which offered the best view of the River Wear

Nestling in the shadow of Wearmouth Bridge was the quaintest house in Sunderland.

And the reason it got that title was because it was built on stilts.

Its' 12 rooms were 20ft in the air

Back in 1952, this Sunderland Echo photo showed the house by the Wear supported by seven 20ft, high pitch pine balks.

They were 15ins thick and had four massive cross beams.

The house had been the home of 64 year old Mr T N White, manager of a nearby sawmill, and his wife Ethel, for the past four years.

But its quaintness does not end with the stilts.

Three front doors and a river vista

Tis 12 roomed house, estimated to be nearly 80 years old, had five entrances and three of them were front doors.

The Echo report at the time said: "Though the view from the green painted veranda is perhaps not the most picturesque in Sunderland, it is nevertheless one of the most interesting."

Looking down over the murky water of the Wear, Mr White, who has been in the timber trade for nearly 50 years, told a Sunderland Echo reporter in 1952: ''Whenever I look out over the river, something is happening."

Ten years later, it was back in the news but this time looking derelict.

Tell us if you remember the house on stilts or know of another Sunderland house with a fascinating history.

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