Our aim is to preserve the artefacts, documents, pictures and skills of the shipyard workers that contributed to shipbuilding in Sunderland from 1346 until 1988 when the last shipyard closed.
/// hidden.means.ship Our aim is to preserve the artefacts, documents, pictures and skills of the shipyard workers that contributed to shipbuilding in Sunderland from 1346 until 1988 when the last shipyard closed. We think this history of shipbuilding and the ships that were built in Sunderland is worth preserving for future generations so that they may know the maritime heritage that their city is built upon. We are manned entirely by unpaid volunteers and offer local volunteers and people returning to the workplace the opportunity to contribute their time in a constructive way. We host visits by school children and provide work placement opportunities for college students. A little bit more about us:
Sunderland Maritime Heritage (SMH)was inaugurated in 2000 primarily to raise awareness of the plight of the City of Adelaide – a clipper ship built at the William Pile Shipyard in Sunderland in 1864 – which at the time was decaying on the Clyde in Irvine, Glasgow and under threat of demolition. The intention of SMH was to save the ship, bring her home to Sunderland and restore her as a visit attraction with the help of local skilled shipbuilders and apprentices. Unfortunately, our bid was unsuccessful and she was taken to Adelaide, Australia where today she is a visitor attraction and still undergoing restoration. Throughout the campaign, however. it became apparent that there was a lack of recognition in Sunderland for its shipbuilding and maritime heritage and as a result SHM broadened its remit to champion the provision of a purpose-built, interactive maritime heritage centre here in Sunderland. SMH’s current premises are a mixture of workshop and presentation space. We are currently a little off the beaten track, but are a gem of a find! We enjoy welcoming our visitors and chatting with them. No matter what the time of year, our workshop always feels a tad chilly, but we do now have a newly built warm area with seating and WIFI access where you can chat to our volunteers. They might even make you a cuppa! Our dream would be a riverside location much more accessible to our visitors where our wooden boats could be in the river and accessible to all.
