Roker
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Roker | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | SUNDERLAND | |
Postcode district | SR6 | |
Dialling code | 0191 | |
Police | Northumbria | |
Fire | Tyne and Wear | |
Ambulance | North East | |
Sunderland Central | ||
Roker (
The majority of the houses in Roker are terraced or semi-detached. Further west, to the part bordering Fulwell, are
In addition to Seaburn seafront, the coast at Roker seafront played host to Sunderland International Air show, the biggest free air show in Europe, which took place each year, usually over the last weekend in July. However the Sunderland Air show has been cancelled indefinitely as Sunderland City Council says it wants to make the city carbon neutral. The popular event, which attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators to Roker, was last held in 2019, just before the pandemic.
Name and etymology
The name was first recorded as Roca in 1768. The exact origin of the name is unclear, but it may be a transferred name from Cabo da Roca in Sinatra, Portugal.[1]
History
The story of Roker began in 1587, when the Abbs family were granted land on the north side of the River Wear on the condition that they provided six soldiers to defend the mouth of the river. Fast forward to 1840, when Roker Terrace was built upon the cliff tops, along with Monkwearmouth baths and Roker Park soon after. The pier and lower promenade were built six years later. In 1898 Roker Park Stadium was built and Roker became known worldwide for being home to Sunderland A.F.C. The stadium was used for ninety-nine years until 1997. In the early 20th century Roker became a hugely popular resort for locals and tourists alike, and in 1928 it was taken over by the Borough of Sunderland, along with Fulwell and Seaburn.
In 1995 Roker Park Conservation Area was declared.[2]
Landmarks
St Andrew's Church (1905–07) is recognised as one of the finest churches of the first half of the twentieth century and the masterpiece of Edward Schroeder Prior.
One well-known landmark of sorts in Roker is the Bungalow Cafe, which is an old-fashioned café in a tiny bungalow on the upper promenade. Also famous is the signpost next to the café, marked: "To Beach" (pointing towards the beach), "To Village" (pointing into Roker), "To Bungalow" (pointing to the cafe), and "To Germany" (pointing out to sea).
A museum is located in the Roker Watch House which was originally opened in 1906 as the headquarters of the Roker Volunteer Life Brigade. It is open every Sunday afternoon and on Bank Holiday Mondays.[3]
Other nearby landmarks are the statue of Bede's cross on the cliff top near Roker Park and
Lighthouses and pier
From 1717 the newly formed River Wear Commission began to improve the harbour entrance at the mouth of the Wear. By 1750 a pair of breakwaters had been built (which survive in truncated form as the 'Old' North and South Piers).
By the beginning of the next century each had a lighthouse at its end. (The lighthouse which stands today in Roker Cliff Park originally stood on the Old South Pier; it was deactivated in 1903 and removed eighty years later.)[4]
With the growth of Sunderland as a port, it was decided to improve the approach to the river by creating an outer harbour, protected by a new pair of new breakwaters curving out into the North Sea from the shore on each side. The new piers were the brainchild of Henry Hay Wake, who at the age of 25 had been appointed Chief Engineer to the River Wear Commission (in succession to Thomas Meik) in 1868.[5] The foundation stone for the New North Pier (Roker Pier) was laid on 14 September 1885. Applauded at the time as a triumph of engineering, the 1,198 ft (365 m) pier is built of granite-faced concrete blocks, which were loaded onto wagons at River Weir Works by a Goliath crane and unloaded and placed at the end of the pier by a Titan crane.
The opposite 'New South Pier' was begun at around the same time but never fully completed due to the start of the
Roker Pier Lighthouse
The lighthouse at the pier head was completed in 1903. Its distinctive stripes are of naturally coloured red and white
A
The light was semi-automated in 1936 when a new light system was installed by AGA.[9] The main lamp was a 750-watt incandescent light bulb, with a gas mantle lamp (fed from the town supply) provided as a stand-by, activated by an automatic lamp changer; and a small electric motor automatically wound the clockwork which rotated the lens.[10]
Full automation followed in 1972, when the old optic was replaced by two back-to-back arrays of six
In 2007 the lighting system was again replaced with a dual-drive Pelangi PRL400 rotating pedestal and lamp.[12]
Roker Pier Lighthouse still functions today. Both pier and lighthouse have undergone significant refurbishment in recent years.
Demographics
The population of Roker is approximately 4,600. Since the redevelopment of former
Along with the district of Monkwearmouth, Roker forms the St Peter's electoral ward on Sunderland City Council, which is a division of the
Streetname traditions
On the site of Sunderland AFC's former stadium is a small housing estate, its street names all being references to the football club (Clockstand Close, Goalmouth Close, Promotion Close, Midfield Drive etc.). The streets in between Roker Baths Road and Roker Avenue are all named after members of William Ewart Gladstone's cabinet (Gladstone, Hartington, Forster, Bright, Stansfield, and so on).
References
- ISBN 978-0-19-960908-6. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Sunderland City Council". Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ Suggitt, Paul. "Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade - Saving Lives Since 1877". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ Jones, Robin (2014). Lighthouses of the North East Coast. Wellington, Somerset: Halsgrove.
- ^ "Historical Timeline". Roker Pier. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Northeastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica vol. 16 p.672
- ^ a b Fowler, A. F. (1905). "The Evolution of Harbour Engineering". Transactions of the Liverpool Engineering Society. 26: 235–246.
- ^ a b "People, Ports and Places". The Dock and Harbour Authority. 57 (672): 271. November 1976.
- ^ Shears, William Sydney (1952). Travel and invention in the modern world. London: Virtue & Co. p. 206.
- ^ Heal, Veryan (1988). Britain's Maritime Heritage. Conway Maritime Press. p. 117.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85704-234-7.
- ^ "Northern Archaeological Associates".
- ^ "Welcome to Roker Pier". Roker Pier. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ Rallings, Colin (2012). "Sunderland City Council Election Results, 1973-2012" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2017.