Sunderland Antiquarian Society Heritage Centre
The local history society founded in 1900, with a members' and public research centre on Douro Terrace holding maps, newspapers, census and other records.
About Sunderland Antiquarian Society Heritage Centre
Sunderland Antiquarian Society was founded in 1900 and is a registered charity (number 1205074) dedicated to the history of Sunderland and its surrounding area. Its heritage centre on Douro Terrace, close to Mowbray Park, holds a large archive collected over more than a century, spread across several rooms of the building. With Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens closed for redevelopment until 2028, it is one of the main places in the city to look into local history in person.
The collection includes census returns and indexes, historic and modern Ordnance Survey maps, Hearth Tax returns, newspapers and periodicals (among them hard copies of the Sunderland Echo from the 1930s to 1975), military records, title deeds, tithe and enclosure awards, Poor Law records and local history books. The centre is open to members and the general public on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 9.30am to noon.
Featured in These Guides
Blog posts and guides that feature Sunderland Antiquarian Society Heritage Centre.
Shipbuilding on the Wear: The Yards, the Liberty Ship and the SD14
The story of Sunderland's shipyards, from Thomas Menville in 1346 to Thompson's Liberty ship design, the SD14 and the 1988 closure, with where to see the river's shipbuilding past today.
Sunderland Glass and Pottery: From Bede's Windows to Pyrex and Lustreware
How Sunderland became a glassmaking and pottery town: Hartley's plate glass, Jobling's Pyrex, lustreware bridge jugs, the National Glass Centre years and the Glassworks planned for 2028.
Famous People from Sunderland: Inventors, Writers, Musicians and Footballers
From Joseph Swan and James Herriot to Dave Stewart, Kate Adie and Jordan Henderson, the people who grew up on Wearside and where to find their traces in the city today.
Historic Trades of Sunderland: Ships, Coal, Glass, Pottery and Rope
The industries that built Sunderland, from salt pans and keelmen to shipyards, glassworks, lustreware potteries, the patent ropery, Vaux brewery and the last pit, with places to see their traces.
Museums in Sunderland: What Is Open in 2026
Where to find Sunderland's history while the Museum and Winter Gardens is closed until 2028 and the National Glass Centre has shut: football, steam, aircraft, castles and local archives.
A Short History of Sunderland
From Bede and the Wearmouth monastery to shipbuilding, Nissan, city status and Riverside Sunderland: thirteen centuries of history on the Wear, and where to see it today.
More Community in Sunderland
Sunderland Empire
Sunderland's large-scale theatre on High Street West, opened in 1907 and now run by Ambassador Theatre Group, staging touring musicals, plays, comedy and the annual pantomime.
The Fire Station
Live music and performance venue in Sunderland's former Central Fire Station, with a purpose-built auditorium for around 550 seated or 800 standing, plus a bar and restaurant in the old engine house.
Culture House
Sunderland's new multi-purpose cultural building on Keel Square, opened in September 2026, home to the City Library, exhibition space and bookable rooms.
Never miss what’s on
Join the weekly SunderlandCity.live digest — the best events, news and local tips, straight to your inbox. One email a week.
What's On
Witches, Fairies and Satan: Folk Tales of County Durham
1:00 PM · Arts Centre Washington, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8AB
Frozen Assets
7:30 PM · Arts Centre Washington, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8AB
Spotlight: Washington Open Exhibition 2026
See website · Arts Centre Washington, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8AB