---

 

 

Sunderland Leasing

Did You Know?

Lewis Carroll spent much of his childhood in Sunderland, visiting his sisters who lived in Southwick and it's said he took inspiration from the city for a number of his works. It is believed the coastline around the home of his cousin, Margaret Wilcox, in Whitburn inspired the Walrus and The Carpenter, and that he composed the opening lines of The Jabberwocky as part of a game with his family at their home.   

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens was the first municipally funded museum in the country outside London. It houses a comprehensive collection of the locally produced Lustreware pottery. 

Swedish star Stefan Schwarz, who signed for Sunderland in 1999, signed a contract that included a bizarre clause, dubbed the 'Space Clause', banning him from space travel.  Schwarz had a keen interest in space travel and it was reported one of his advisors had secured tickets for the first passenger space flight. However, Sunderland's contract clause prevented him from going into space, warning that a breach would result in the immediate termination of his contract. 

Britain's first-ever historian and the most famous author of the Anglo Saxon age, Venerable Bede, moved to Sunderland at the age of seven to study at St. Peter's Church in Monkwearmouth.

Jack Crawford, a sailor from Sunderland was on Admiral Duncan's ship at the Battle of Campdeown. During the battle, part of the mast was damaged and the Admiral's flag was lowered (considered a sign of surrender). Crawford climbed the mast and nailed the colours back to the mast. He was presented to the king and given a state pension of £30 a year. He died in poverty, of cholera and was buried in a pauper's grave.

Japanese car-makers Nissan became the first Japanese car company to operate in Europe in 1986 when the company chose Sunderland as the location. Today, the company employs around 6,700 people in the Sunderland suburbs and it is the largest car producer in the UK. 

The first police box in England, as seen in Dr. Who was in Sunderland in 1923. The box was an idea brought from America and developed in Sunderland by the Chief Constable, Frederick Crawley. 

Sunderland's shipbuilding industry lasted over six centuries, during which it had over 400 registered shipyards and became the largest shipbuilding town in the world. 

Sunderland Shorts Film Festival was established in 2014 and was inspired by the city's partnership with Washington DC. The event has attracted film-makers from around the world and was developed in collaboration with DC Shorts, which is a respected film festival is the US. 

The first stained glass window in England was made in Sunderland in 674 AD at St. Peter's Monastery. 

Sunderland itself was granted a charter in the late 12th century and incorporated as a borough in 1634; its name derives from the part of Monkwearmouth “sundered” from the monastery by the river.