After the dreadful weather of the weekend the sky was blue this morning, so I decided to continue my two rivers walk with the Seaburn promenade between Whitburn and the Marriot Hotel which is one end of the road which leads to my former home of three decades. I packed a lunch and arriving at the supermarket I could not ignore the cloudy threatening skyline or the chill wind which even with my jacket zipped did not make for an enjoyable walk into town to deposit a cheque and buy some of the large juicy cherries and plums from the stall under the Metro station bridge. At the car I debated what to do, even considering a return home, but chose to first check what it was like along the coast.
I stopped for an early brunch at the Whitburn Country Park selecting a space on my own and sheltered from the wind and enjoyed a mixed salad and two Ciabatta breads, and some water before testing the air sufficiently to contemplate continuing the planned trip, although first I went for some petrol and then a cup of tea at Morrison's supermarket, during which time there was opportunity to reflect on the change over the past thirty three years. I also could not resist a naughty naught treat, a packet of liquorice allsorts, the first for at least a year. Delicious.
I then failed the first test to remember when several of the South Bents fisherman's cottages at the southern end of the row were bought up and developed into attractive beachside homes with first floor verandas. There is a pleasant pathway between the cottages and the narrow sand dunes before the sand beach, although these do provide some screening for sunbathers and couples seeking a little privacy, although their behaviour can be overlooked from the roadway at the top of the bay next to the tea and ice cream kiosk by the Whitburn coast car park, especially as this is a good spot for the police to park one of their observation vehicles from time to time. I also once encountered a trio of cyclists from Gateshead station and was pleased to be able to advise a fourth where they were after they said he had gone astray, when I saw him looking for them at the nearby garage.
After the cottages there is wide bank of grass separating the coast road from the promenade alongside the beach. On the other side of the road, after leaving the Whitburn cricket ground and park here is farm land which stretches eastward about a mile to the main Sunderland Shields Road until the Sunderland Academy. Along the roadside there are pleasant private houses until the block of three story private flats where once the Bay provided a beach and sea view from its first floor restaurant or on warm days and nights to sit outside the ground floor bar to take a drink after a walk from home. The disappearance of the Bay reminds that in South Shields I notices that the Sand Dancer appeared to have made an instant recovery so stopped to investigation from my car. The restaurant bar is still called the Sand Dancer and around one side and two corners the facilities have been extended to enable smokers to eat and drink in the open air, under awnings. There is also a Crab seafood bar to be explored. The speed of the transformation is amazing.
Back to Seaburn Promenade I was pleased to find that the Little Italy restaurant and Bar has survived and appears to be thriving. This restaurant is directly on the promenade and built into the gassy bank above. It is the only permanent food outlet on the promenade side of the road at Seaburn, although there are others at Roker Beach which I plan to revisit later in the week.
Across the road the private housing ends with two restaurants. I have only been twice the Paradise Garden, I think. Once for their fixed price lunch and once, recently for party of three with one young person where a variety of dishes were sampled from the revolving tracks at the table centre. Given the quantity of soft drinks and after meal hot drinks and the selection of dishes, this is place for good food at a reasonable price and it is not therefore surprising that it was packed on both instances that I remember. After the Paradise Garden there is now the Waterfront Café and bar, under what appears to be a new transformation. This was once an Italian restaurant, and the a more traditional cafe after the Paradise Garden took over the tiny tea room which was sandwiched between the two. The tea room was popular for all those who did not want to walk all the way to the one at Whitburn,
By the Waterfront is a bus turning half circle for vehicles which do not continue along the coast to South Shields by two routes, one along the sea front and the other on a long tour of estates which doubles the journey time, but was useful when I moved my car to servicing at the AA garage after the garage/car sales firm which had serviced and provided vehicles for many years closed. Two years ago the AA garage was taken over by Nationwide recovery but they continue to be recommended by the AA.
Then there is the Seaburn Camp showground. This large enclosed grassed field appears to be used on only two occasions each year although it is available for hire. Durham Caravanning and Camping has recently made this an annual venue although previously it used the recreation grounds which separated my former home from the seafront, a home where the painter Lowry would take afternoon tea with the former owner on visits to Seaburn where he stayed at the Seaburn Hotel, now a Marriott. Irrespective of where the annual seaside trip is held the one certainty is that the weather will be foul. Almost as certain is that the weather will improve once the children have returned to school.
Immediately adjacent to the showground is Morrison's. I cannot remember when it was built. Everyone managed before two small supermarkets on either side of the main road through Fullwell, at the top of the hill which leads down to my former home and the seafront. At the other end of this road is Seaburn station once the railway stop before Sunderland. Now the trains only stop at Hewarth and run infrequently, continuing on to Middlesbrough. They have been replaced by the Metro which now stops twice before reaching Sunderland town centre at the new bus station, and then continues to other parts of the city, including the expanding university which has helped to transform the city. First one of the smaller supermarkets closed with the arrival of Morrison's, and then Morrison's bought the second which did not reopen after a fire, although it was reinstated, More recently it has been reopened as a mini Sainsbury. There was always open all hours convenience store and then a new outlet opened, and which has been taken over by the local chain of newsagents.
When I first moved I missed Morrison's returning once a week as part of a visit which included the new cinema, casino, leisure complex completed in the city side if the main bridge. Now I visit only once a month for a shopping, although I have parked, had a quick meal or cup of tea, getting petrol, cleaning the, car or when as now promenading.
Until few years ago there was a traditional amusement arcade, sandwiched between one side of Morrison's internal roadway and the amusement park. This is now Go Bananas, and while I have read the notices about its new purpose, I have never looked inside until today. It has been redesigned as an indoor adventure and activity centre for children of primary school age. What is a good idea is that the internal café is located at the centre so that mothers can take refreshment and chat while keeping one eye on their offspring who can be kept always in view.
The amusement part is only open during the Summer season and because it is a couple of miles into the town centre, has not thrived as does the all year centre at South Shields. Today there was a solitary customer and her daughter in view, thoroughly enjoying having a ride all to herself. This weekend's bank holiday will be one of its busiest with the annual air display and exhibitions, the other. There is then a more traditional Arcade centre before Seaburn Hall When first arriving the hall was a traditional looking local hall which was subsequently transformed in the Bier Keller with disastrous result. Once I and a local policeman helped to sort out the fence of an elderly neighbour which had been knocked down by drunken youth. The constable told me of the incident when two youths and continued up to the top of the hill and then continued south along a quite road heading for the city centre parallel to the coast road. One had become so drunk that he had be left on the pavement while the other went to try and find a taxi. When he returned with the taxi hey found the companion lying in the middle of the road. Both his legs were found to have been broken as it appeared that in the dark a vehicle had run over him and driven on.
The old hall was knocked down where the area was redeveloped and replaced by a sports and fitness hall which can be converted into a theatre which ahs been used for performances of the Royal Shakespeare company and where this Friday there is to be the Sunderland version of the X Factor. The hall is used on Boxing day as a monster changing room when over 1000 people of all ages out on swimming costumes and fancy dress and fancy objects to then go in groups on to the beach where they are hosed by the local fire service before having a knees up in the sea watched thousands of onlookers out for a stroll before lunch. Local charities gain from the ever increasing event which sometimes makes the national news.
Next there is the purpose built Pullman Lodge Hotel. This has always been an interesting and unusual establishment. At the front are two restaurant carriages which serve as a restaurant only open evenings and at for Sunday lunch. The hotel is a motel on two floors, a building at right angles to the main road Behind the carriages was a two story restaurant and bar, with entry gained at the first floor level. This was once a carvery separate from the carriages, but now the building has been transformed into a large sports bar with meals, with the atmosphere of a Victorian railway station with at the centre an oval bar. IT is not clear how entry is made to the ground level banqueting suite above which was a Wintergarden type of sitting and drinking area and outside of this a veranda. The veranda continues for smokers but about half the Wintergarden space has been padlocked shut, I imagine since the smoking ban came into force because it would have been a good spot to have a quiet smoke and drink while still under cover. The other half of the Wintergarden now consists of a third railway carriage which I can only assume was purpose built within the existing building. Families can still sit at table within the carriage because there is access from the first floor gallery above the main area. Behind the Seaburn Hall and Pullman Lodge there is a purpose built outside play centre for children and across the internal roadway is the Lambton Worm.
The Lambton Worm is a legend about the battles between an heir to the County Durham Lambton estate and a giant worm which terrorised the local villages. The creature is comparatively small according to some legends but grows in size and becomes poisonous and grew to such an extent that it could encircle local hill renamed Worm Hill which is within the areas of Washington, Sunderland, the original place for Washington DC. The worm is alleged to have eaten sheep, prevented cows from producing milk and snatching away small children. The Lambton heir having returned from the crusades and discovered the havoc which the worm had caused, does battle with the creature on the advice of a witch, having found its new location wrapped around a large rock in the river Wear.
The Lambton Worm was made into a two act opera in 1978 and Ken Russell made a film in 1988, The Lair of the White Worm while adapting a Bram Stoker novel. About 20 years ago the worm was made into a physical form for the Gateshead Garden Festival and was then acquired by Sunderland Council and placed in purpose designed gardens in the space behind the Seaburn centre.
Next two the Pullman Lodge is another amusement arcade centre which also sells fish and chips. Backing in to this is a pool hall and with Italian restaurant which is an odd combination which I will explore further on a future visit. At this point on the beach side of the road the promenade also emerges at road level but out of view are ice cream and fish and chip kiosks, the life guard centre, a place to hire wind breaks and tent and toilets.
Between here and the infamous roundabout one upon a time European funded fountain roundabout, there is a continuous row of seat built into the sea wall and facing the roadway. This is ok except that there are times when the sea crashes against the base of the wall and rises up over the seating. On the opposite of the road, Minchella's has a combined ice cream and fish and chip kiosk along side of which is a second fish and chip kiosk thus make 3 within yards of each other an where during the summer there are regular all day queues.
On the main road corner used be the closes Arcade to my home, which was then closed and recently reopened as an Asian restaurant offering banquets at £22.50 a head, although there are lower cost deals. There is a doorway staircase leading to a first floor restaurant which over the decades has switched from Greek with music and plate breaking to Italian and now Indian. Santini's has also switched from American Tex Mex to Italian, as is now Gabrielle's although was it once French? The Seaburn post office used to exist at the corner where the rebuilt Seaburn and Marriott Hotel extension stands. It then moved to Seaburn Parade and it over a year since I have visited. It remains only as a memory with the newsagent, off licence, DVD hire, mini store expanded. There another Indian restaurant and a pub restaurant the Promenade which still serves inexpensive traditional Sunday lunches as well as combining with a Sunderland supporting sports pub on match days.
The final building is the Seaburn, now Marriott Hotel. I stayed at the hotel when I came for interview in 1973 for the job which brought me to live in he North East for over 30 years. It was so dark and misty that I had no idea there was a beachside sea view until the morning, when I had succeeded subject to Ministerial confirmation after interview before the full 66 members of the Council. Later I was eat Sunday lunch sometimes at the bar restaurant at the corner overlooking what was then an ordinary roundabout. This part of the hotel was then knocked to form the present leisure club with swimming pool, steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi plus fitness room, and where such was the initial demand that I had to wait for a vacancy before being able to first join in 1991. Later the three storey terraced housing used for administration and which included the post office was demolished to make way for one of two extensions. Later still the number of rooms was reduced to fit into the Marriott concept. The prices of the rooms, the leisure club and the restaurant have risen accordingly.
I ended this park of the Seaburn and Roker coastline by trying to remember what the roundabout was like before it became a large cake of a fountain with large chimney sweep broom head at the top. This rarely worked but provided great enjoyment every time packets of soap powder were contributed and suds flowed over into the roadway. It remained a controversial eyesore because the Council would have been required to pay back the Euro funding had significant changes been made within the first decade. When Sunderland City complete its mini Eden project tropical Wintergarden complete with a circular tree top walkway, exotic plants appeared at different levels of the fountain. Eventually the offending structure was partially demolished. I thought it was always fun.
I stopped for an early brunch at the Whitburn Country Park selecting a space on my own and sheltered from the wind and enjoyed a mixed salad and two Ciabatta breads, and some water before testing the air sufficiently to contemplate continuing the planned trip, although first I went for some petrol and then a cup of tea at Morrison's supermarket, during which time there was opportunity to reflect on the change over the past thirty three years. I also could not resist a naughty naught treat, a packet of liquorice allsorts, the first for at least a year. Delicious.
I then failed the first test to remember when several of the South Bents fisherman's cottages at the southern end of the row were bought up and developed into attractive beachside homes with first floor verandas. There is a pleasant pathway between the cottages and the narrow sand dunes before the sand beach, although these do provide some screening for sunbathers and couples seeking a little privacy, although their behaviour can be overlooked from the roadway at the top of the bay next to the tea and ice cream kiosk by the Whitburn coast car park, especially as this is a good spot for the police to park one of their observation vehicles from time to time. I also once encountered a trio of cyclists from Gateshead station and was pleased to be able to advise a fourth where they were after they said he had gone astray, when I saw him looking for them at the nearby garage.
After the cottages there is wide bank of grass separating the coast road from the promenade alongside the beach. On the other side of the road, after leaving the Whitburn cricket ground and park here is farm land which stretches eastward about a mile to the main Sunderland Shields Road until the Sunderland Academy. Along the roadside there are pleasant private houses until the block of three story private flats where once the Bay provided a beach and sea view from its first floor restaurant or on warm days and nights to sit outside the ground floor bar to take a drink after a walk from home. The disappearance of the Bay reminds that in South Shields I notices that the Sand Dancer appeared to have made an instant recovery so stopped to investigation from my car. The restaurant bar is still called the Sand Dancer and around one side and two corners the facilities have been extended to enable smokers to eat and drink in the open air, under awnings. There is also a Crab seafood bar to be explored. The speed of the transformation is amazing.
Back to Seaburn Promenade I was pleased to find that the Little Italy restaurant and Bar has survived and appears to be thriving. This restaurant is directly on the promenade and built into the gassy bank above. It is the only permanent food outlet on the promenade side of the road at Seaburn, although there are others at Roker Beach which I plan to revisit later in the week.
Across the road the private housing ends with two restaurants. I have only been twice the Paradise Garden, I think. Once for their fixed price lunch and once, recently for party of three with one young person where a variety of dishes were sampled from the revolving tracks at the table centre. Given the quantity of soft drinks and after meal hot drinks and the selection of dishes, this is place for good food at a reasonable price and it is not therefore surprising that it was packed on both instances that I remember. After the Paradise Garden there is now the Waterfront Café and bar, under what appears to be a new transformation. This was once an Italian restaurant, and the a more traditional cafe after the Paradise Garden took over the tiny tea room which was sandwiched between the two. The tea room was popular for all those who did not want to walk all the way to the one at Whitburn,
By the Waterfront is a bus turning half circle for vehicles which do not continue along the coast to South Shields by two routes, one along the sea front and the other on a long tour of estates which doubles the journey time, but was useful when I moved my car to servicing at the AA garage after the garage/car sales firm which had serviced and provided vehicles for many years closed. Two years ago the AA garage was taken over by Nationwide recovery but they continue to be recommended by the AA.
Then there is the Seaburn Camp showground. This large enclosed grassed field appears to be used on only two occasions each year although it is available for hire. Durham Caravanning and Camping has recently made this an annual venue although previously it used the recreation grounds which separated my former home from the seafront, a home where the painter Lowry would take afternoon tea with the former owner on visits to Seaburn where he stayed at the Seaburn Hotel, now a Marriott. Irrespective of where the annual seaside trip is held the one certainty is that the weather will be foul. Almost as certain is that the weather will improve once the children have returned to school.
Immediately adjacent to the showground is Morrison's. I cannot remember when it was built. Everyone managed before two small supermarkets on either side of the main road through Fullwell, at the top of the hill which leads down to my former home and the seafront. At the other end of this road is Seaburn station once the railway stop before Sunderland. Now the trains only stop at Hewarth and run infrequently, continuing on to Middlesbrough. They have been replaced by the Metro which now stops twice before reaching Sunderland town centre at the new bus station, and then continues to other parts of the city, including the expanding university which has helped to transform the city. First one of the smaller supermarkets closed with the arrival of Morrison's, and then Morrison's bought the second which did not reopen after a fire, although it was reinstated, More recently it has been reopened as a mini Sainsbury. There was always open all hours convenience store and then a new outlet opened, and which has been taken over by the local chain of newsagents.
When I first moved I missed Morrison's returning once a week as part of a visit which included the new cinema, casino, leisure complex completed in the city side if the main bridge. Now I visit only once a month for a shopping, although I have parked, had a quick meal or cup of tea, getting petrol, cleaning the, car or when as now promenading.
Until few years ago there was a traditional amusement arcade, sandwiched between one side of Morrison's internal roadway and the amusement park. This is now Go Bananas, and while I have read the notices about its new purpose, I have never looked inside until today. It has been redesigned as an indoor adventure and activity centre for children of primary school age. What is a good idea is that the internal café is located at the centre so that mothers can take refreshment and chat while keeping one eye on their offspring who can be kept always in view.
The amusement part is only open during the Summer season and because it is a couple of miles into the town centre, has not thrived as does the all year centre at South Shields. Today there was a solitary customer and her daughter in view, thoroughly enjoying having a ride all to herself. This weekend's bank holiday will be one of its busiest with the annual air display and exhibitions, the other. There is then a more traditional Arcade centre before Seaburn Hall When first arriving the hall was a traditional looking local hall which was subsequently transformed in the Bier Keller with disastrous result. Once I and a local policeman helped to sort out the fence of an elderly neighbour which had been knocked down by drunken youth. The constable told me of the incident when two youths and continued up to the top of the hill and then continued south along a quite road heading for the city centre parallel to the coast road. One had become so drunk that he had be left on the pavement while the other went to try and find a taxi. When he returned with the taxi hey found the companion lying in the middle of the road. Both his legs were found to have been broken as it appeared that in the dark a vehicle had run over him and driven on.
The old hall was knocked down where the area was redeveloped and replaced by a sports and fitness hall which can be converted into a theatre which ahs been used for performances of the Royal Shakespeare company and where this Friday there is to be the Sunderland version of the X Factor. The hall is used on Boxing day as a monster changing room when over 1000 people of all ages out on swimming costumes and fancy dress and fancy objects to then go in groups on to the beach where they are hosed by the local fire service before having a knees up in the sea watched thousands of onlookers out for a stroll before lunch. Local charities gain from the ever increasing event which sometimes makes the national news.
Next there is the purpose built Pullman Lodge Hotel. This has always been an interesting and unusual establishment. At the front are two restaurant carriages which serve as a restaurant only open evenings and at for Sunday lunch. The hotel is a motel on two floors, a building at right angles to the main road Behind the carriages was a two story restaurant and bar, with entry gained at the first floor level. This was once a carvery separate from the carriages, but now the building has been transformed into a large sports bar with meals, with the atmosphere of a Victorian railway station with at the centre an oval bar. IT is not clear how entry is made to the ground level banqueting suite above which was a Wintergarden type of sitting and drinking area and outside of this a veranda. The veranda continues for smokers but about half the Wintergarden space has been padlocked shut, I imagine since the smoking ban came into force because it would have been a good spot to have a quiet smoke and drink while still under cover. The other half of the Wintergarden now consists of a third railway carriage which I can only assume was purpose built within the existing building. Families can still sit at table within the carriage because there is access from the first floor gallery above the main area. Behind the Seaburn Hall and Pullman Lodge there is a purpose built outside play centre for children and across the internal roadway is the Lambton Worm.
The Lambton Worm is a legend about the battles between an heir to the County Durham Lambton estate and a giant worm which terrorised the local villages. The creature is comparatively small according to some legends but grows in size and becomes poisonous and grew to such an extent that it could encircle local hill renamed Worm Hill which is within the areas of Washington, Sunderland, the original place for Washington DC. The worm is alleged to have eaten sheep, prevented cows from producing milk and snatching away small children. The Lambton heir having returned from the crusades and discovered the havoc which the worm had caused, does battle with the creature on the advice of a witch, having found its new location wrapped around a large rock in the river Wear.
The Lambton Worm was made into a two act opera in 1978 and Ken Russell made a film in 1988, The Lair of the White Worm while adapting a Bram Stoker novel. About 20 years ago the worm was made into a physical form for the Gateshead Garden Festival and was then acquired by Sunderland Council and placed in purpose designed gardens in the space behind the Seaburn centre.
Next two the Pullman Lodge is another amusement arcade centre which also sells fish and chips. Backing in to this is a pool hall and with Italian restaurant which is an odd combination which I will explore further on a future visit. At this point on the beach side of the road the promenade also emerges at road level but out of view are ice cream and fish and chip kiosks, the life guard centre, a place to hire wind breaks and tent and toilets.
Between here and the infamous roundabout one upon a time European funded fountain roundabout, there is a continuous row of seat built into the sea wall and facing the roadway. This is ok except that there are times when the sea crashes against the base of the wall and rises up over the seating. On the opposite of the road, Minchella's has a combined ice cream and fish and chip kiosk along side of which is a second fish and chip kiosk thus make 3 within yards of each other an where during the summer there are regular all day queues.
On the main road corner used be the closes Arcade to my home, which was then closed and recently reopened as an Asian restaurant offering banquets at £22.50 a head, although there are lower cost deals. There is a doorway staircase leading to a first floor restaurant which over the decades has switched from Greek with music and plate breaking to Italian and now Indian. Santini's has also switched from American Tex Mex to Italian, as is now Gabrielle's although was it once French? The Seaburn post office used to exist at the corner where the rebuilt Seaburn and Marriott Hotel extension stands. It then moved to Seaburn Parade and it over a year since I have visited. It remains only as a memory with the newsagent, off licence, DVD hire, mini store expanded. There another Indian restaurant and a pub restaurant the Promenade which still serves inexpensive traditional Sunday lunches as well as combining with a Sunderland supporting sports pub on match days.
The final building is the Seaburn, now Marriott Hotel. I stayed at the hotel when I came for interview in 1973 for the job which brought me to live in he North East for over 30 years. It was so dark and misty that I had no idea there was a beachside sea view until the morning, when I had succeeded subject to Ministerial confirmation after interview before the full 66 members of the Council. Later I was eat Sunday lunch sometimes at the bar restaurant at the corner overlooking what was then an ordinary roundabout. This part of the hotel was then knocked to form the present leisure club with swimming pool, steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi plus fitness room, and where such was the initial demand that I had to wait for a vacancy before being able to first join in 1991. Later the three storey terraced housing used for administration and which included the post office was demolished to make way for one of two extensions. Later still the number of rooms was reduced to fit into the Marriott concept. The prices of the rooms, the leisure club and the restaurant have risen accordingly.
I ended this park of the Seaburn and Roker coastline by trying to remember what the roundabout was like before it became a large cake of a fountain with large chimney sweep broom head at the top. This rarely worked but provided great enjoyment every time packets of soap powder were contributed and suds flowed over into the roadway. It remained a controversial eyesore because the Council would have been required to pay back the Euro funding had significant changes been made within the first decade. When Sunderland City complete its mini Eden project tropical Wintergarden complete with a circular tree top walkway, exotic plants appeared at different levels of the fountain. Eventually the offending structure was partially demolished. I thought it was always fun.
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