A. Wearmouth Bridge - this is where you start.
B. This sculpture entitled ‘Shadows in Another Light’ is on the riverside close to the bridge. It resembles a steel tree and stands on the base of a former shipyard crane. The giant rivets, nuts and bolts are part of it. How many circular plaques are there around the base of the sculpture?
C. ‘Pathways of Knowledge’ is outside the library. While you are here you could have a look round the library and the St Peter’s campus. Although this library’s not as big as the Murray library, it does have some material relevant to English (particularly English language). There’s also a café for refreshments if you’re already peckish. The sculpture reflects the intellectual heritage of the area. During the Anglo-Saxon period, the twin monasteries of St Peter’s (on the site of St Peter’s church behind the campus) and St Paul’s (Jarrow) were the greatest centres of learning in Western Europe (the Oxford and Cambridge of their day). Who unveiled the sculpture? When ?
D. To get to the next sculpture, go back through the museum and turn left, heading towards the river mouth. ‘The Red House’ is an ‘exploded’ house carved from stone – look out for bits and pieces of it scattered along the route. Which three items are on the fireplace?
E. ‘Watching and Waiting’. What’s the date of the diary entry on the stone book?
F. ‘Flight’. At the pinnacle of the sculpture two cardinal compass points are shown. Which two?
G. ‘Passing Through’. What image is captured in stained glass on the door? As you head around the harbour you’ll see (just around from the lifeboat station) a café called ‘The Snow Goose’. More refreshments!
H. ‘Windows and Walls’. A number of local schools were involved in the production of these scenes depicting sea and country life. Give the names of three of the schools.
I. ‘Taking Flight’. The cormorant is depicted taking off across the river. As you look across the river, which four letters can you see on the warehouse opposite next to the penguin logo?
K. ‘Stone Stair Carpet’ consists of carved steps going into the river. How many steps?
J. ‘High Tide’. These giant scattered concrete bowls on the beach represent the phases of the moon. There are words around the rims. Compete these lines: ‘Full and fat she can barely float, _________________________________’. And how many phases are represented?
You have finished the trail. The quickest way back to the City Campus is to return to St Peter’s and catch the bus. Or you could walk to the Metro station by the bridge. For those of you who don’t know Sunderland, Roker Beach (where you are now) leads into Seaburn Beach, and if you carry on along the coast road eventually you’ll get to South Shields. The cliffs and beaches along here are excellent, and largely unknown outside the region. I recommend the Marsden Grotto pub in South Shields (it’s in a cave and you can descend the cliff face in a lift).
