Sunderland Minster
- Category: Sunderland
- Published: Sunday, 17 March 2019 00:25
- Hits: 707
St Michael’s church became the Sunderland Minster in 1998, in keeping with Sunderland’s city status granted in 1992. The minster is now officially ‘The Minster Church of St Michael and All Angels and St Benedict Biscop’. Despite its minster status, it not the oldest or most historically significant church in Sunderland. That honour belongs to the 1,300 year old church of St Peter across the river at Monkwearmouth.
Neverthless Sunderland Minster is a site with quite a remarkable history. There is thought to have been a church on this site since 930AD and very probably earlier given the extensive area of land associated with South Wearmouth
Although parts of the present building can be dated to the 13th century and carved stones of Saxon times have been found, much of the present building owes its origins to a restoration of the 19th century with further work carried out during the 1930s.
Historically, an extensive rectory and rectory lands were attached to this church, stretching right down to the river from a site now occupied by the Empire Theatre. Considered one of the best parsonages in England, the rectory building was demolished in 1855. Its incumbents had included several significant figures. Notable Wearmouth rectors went on to become bishops, archbishops and one even became a pope, namely Robert Gebenens, a Wearmouth rector in the 1370s, who became Pope Clement VII during the Great Schism.
The Oxford Connection
The most notable Wearmouth Rector was however William of Durham (William De Dunelm) who was rector from 1229. Making a good living from the Wearmouth rectory lands, William left, upon his death, a bequest for the founding of a college. That college was none other than University College at Oxford, the first college of one of the most esteemed educational establishments in the world.
Industry gradually colonised the rural ‘Rectory Park’ lands during the nineteenth century and a significant part of the park was home to Vaux Breweries (founded 1837) that stood here from 1875 up until closure in 1999. Presently, the site is set to become a focus for major business development.
Holmeside on a very miserable Saturday morning the weather was awful and very cold