Sunderland Point

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Sunderland
Sunderland shown within Lancashire
OS grid reference	SD426562
District	City of Lancaster
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MORECAMBE
Postcode district	LA3
Dialling code	01524
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Morecambe and Lunesdale
List of places: UK • England • Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°59′53″N 2°52′34″W / 53.998, -2.876

Sunderland, commonly known as Sunderland Point, is a small village among the marshes, on a windswept peninsula between the mouth of the River Lune, and Morecambe Bay, in Lancashire, England. It was used as a port for slave ships and cotton ships but its importance declined as other ports such as Lancaster were opened up.

The village is linked to the neighbouring Overton some 1½ miles away by a single-track road crossing a tidal marsh, which is flooded at high tide.

Strictly speaking, "Sunderland Point" is the name of the tip of the pensinsula, on which the village of Sunderland stands, but the name is frequently applied to the village itself.

[edit] History

It was developed as an out port for Lancaster by Robert Lawson, a Quaker, at the beginning of the 18th century. Reportedly, stonework from the ruined Cockersand Abbey just across the river was utilised in the construction of the quay and buildings. Lawson finally went bankrupt in 1728, which began a steady decline until it was totally surpassed by Glasson Dock, which opened in 1787.

Ships could unload here, or wait for the tide before moving up to the main docks at St. Georges Quay in Lancaster and registering at the Customs House. Sailors were known to press gang new recruits at The Three Mariners, just off the quay in Lancaster, and at The Golden Ball on the way back along the river at Snatchems. Both public houses can still be visited. Fit, young candidates were often plied with copious amounts of alcohol, before being whisked away for an extended service at sea. Another local place called Catchems must also have been involved in the press-ganging which was rife in the locality. Many a young man disappeared from the farms and villages around the marshes.

[edit] Sambo's Grave

Main article: Sambo's Grave

The Port of Lancaster, once the third largest in the country, was part of the slavery triangle. The furniture makers of Lancaster, and Gillows in particular, are of some renown. Black Africans were almost unheard of in Lancaster, thus the master of a slave called Sambo thought it advisable to leave him at Sunderland Point whilst he traveled on to Lancaster to undertake his business in the rest of Britain. Sambo won the hearts of the local people but died in 1736 from a disease contracted from contact with Europeans, to which he had no natural immunity. He died in the old brewery, which still stands on the corner of the pathway that leads to his lonely grave. Sambo's Grave on the unconsecrated (as he was not a Christian) and windswept shoreline of Morecambe Bay is still a local tourist attraction today. The grave almost always bears flowers or stones painted by the local children.

[edit] Today

Sunderland Point still maintains some of its former grandeur with the warehouses and buildings along the quay, which are now being converted into homes and flats. They once stored rum, tobacco and cotton and several are listed as Grade II. Along the quay at Sunderland Point are a number of fine Georgian dwellings well protected against the weather, one of which is a former hostelry. There is also a fine early 18th century gatepier on the quay that Pevsner thought worthy of note. There are stunning views over the River Lune and the hamlet was featured in the TV drama The Ruby in the Smoke with Billie Piper and Julie Walters in December 2006.

Mainy properties at Sunderland Point suffer regular flooding, with individual properties made resilient to the effects.^[1]

[edit] References