Volunteer projects

Learning more about the heritage of the area, recording local memories and reimagining the past history of the buildings and spaces was a key part of the Townscape Heritage Scheme.

We published a Village Atlas in 2021, based on research from local volunteers working with The Archaeological Practice. This is an in-depth exploration of the historic, archaeology, geology and landscape of the Bishopwearmouth parish. The full Village Atlas and a mini atlas is available here:

Bishopwearmouth Village Atlas

This led to a further research project into the historic inns of Bishopwearmouth in 2022, further details available here:

Inns of Bishopwearmouth

We worked with Cultural Creatives CIC and Sunderland Minster on two volunteer craft projects showcasing the details of the buildings and spaces in the Townscape Heritage area. The Bishopwearmouth Banner draws on the beauty of the built and natural environment surrounding Sunderland Minster and uses a mix of contrasting fabrics and colours to reflect the history of the area in a new interpretative way. The banner was completed in August 2022 and now hangs in the Sunderland Minster café.

In 2023 we offered a series of workshops for volunteers across Sunderland led by Cultural Creatives CIC using architectural details as inspiration for a screen printing exhibition in October 2023.

In 2023 we worked with volunteer actors at Theatre Space North East CIC to produce a series of audio recordings recreating the lost voices of historical residents of the area. The recordings are available on Youtube and promoted through the new blue plaque at Sunderland Empire Theatre, unveiled in March 2024

We recorded oral history interviews with local people and worked with volunteers from Remembering the Past to share these online, clips of the recordings are available at the Remembering the Past website (opens new window).