Sunderland Guide: Bishopwearmouth Green (Town Park)
Location: West of Sunderland City Centre, next to St. Mary’s Way and opposite the University
Bishopwearmouth Green is the direct continuation of the heart of a settlement established in the early Middle Ages. The Green, alongside its adjacent church the Sunderland Minster (Or St. Michael and all Angels) acted as the heart of community life for over 1000 years.
Founded in the Anglo-Saxon era in the 10th century when King Æthelstan granted lands to the Bishop of Durham, the parish of Bishopwearmouth and its green became the nucleus of life amongst the farming estates and villages that became the city’s suburbs. To the north of it also set the former clerical Rectory building, which disappeared in the 19th century.
The Green consisted of two streets which still exist today: High Row and Low Row. It used to be accompanied by the Bishopwearmouth Burn (Barnes Burn) which has since been built over. By the 19th century, Bishopwearmouth was ultimately absorbed by the booming eastern town of Sunderland, which would displace it to become the defining name of the town as a whole.
In 2020, the site of the former village Green was subject to significant investment and refurbished into a new “town park”- making it an appealing place to visit and relax. It’s well worth a visit when passing through the city centre and is surrounded by scores of the city’s finest bars, pubs and restaurants.
Nearby Amenities: The Dun Cow (Pub), Sunderland Empire Theatre, Greens, Sunderland Travel lodge, Victors, The Bridges, Revolution, The Rabbit, University of Sunderland, Casa Italia, Mexico 70, Spice Empire
