Today, we tell the story of the Wheatsheaf Lighthouse which dominated the Wearside skyline.
It lasted until 1970 when its demolition was planned - but then a fire put it right back in the spotlight.
These photos, plucked from the Sunderland Echo archives, as well as from Sunderland Antiquarian Society and Google Maps, aim to bring that story to life.
In case you missed it;
1. The story starts in St Mark's Road
A certain William Mills, who first had a grocery shop on the corner of St Mark's Road and Chester Road in the 1870s, came into a lot of money and built premises in Roker Avenue. The lighthouse was added later. | Google Maps
2. The early days
This is how the Roker Avenue building looked in its early days when the wholesale and retail business Wills traded from it. | nw
3. Into the 1900s
By the time we got to the 1900s, the well known store Walter Willson's was trading from the building, and the lighthouse was a very distinctive feature on the top of it. | se
4. Under attack
The building even survived a Zeppelin raid during World War I in 1916. | nw