Sunderland, United Kingdom Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

SUNDERLAND shares Newcastle's long history, river setting and industrial heritage but cannot match its architectural splendour. Formed from three medieval villages flanking the Wear, it was one of the wealthiest towns in England by 1500, and later supported the Parliamentary cause in the Civil War. The twentieth century made and broke the town: from being the largest shipbuilding town in the world, supporting a dozen shipyards, Sunderland slumped after ferocious bombing during World War II. Depression and recession did the rest. There's little to turn the head in Sunderland's … more »