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All the United Kingdom England Monkwearmouth Steel Men Of Wearside
AO Edited

Steel Men Of Wearside

This tribute to Sunderland's mining past stands outside the home of its football club.

Monkwearmouth, England

Added By
Shaun Marrs
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Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
Viewed from the south side of the river Wear   Global Sightseer / Atlas Obscura User
Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
Steel Men Of Wearside.   Kraft Kreator / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Head to the Stadium of Light—home of the Sunderland Football Club—and you’ll see a series of striking sculptures standing within the park. There, four eight-foot-tall steel men roll giant lumps of coal up the riverbank in a poignant tribute to the city’s industrial past.

The Steel Men Of Wearside were initially commissioned by the Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast back in 2001. They were installed as part of a plan to transform the site of the former Wearmouth Colliery.

The initial plan was to pay homage to the men of Wearside who used to work in the various coal mines around the River Wear. The sculptures also helped to decorate the area that is also one of the last stretches of England's coast-to-coast bicycle route.

Although they were initially visible from multiple locations around the river, the trees and bushes have been left to grow as they please. Nature's mission to slowly reclaim the riverbank has thus limited the places you can view the steel sculptures, making them feel a bit like a hidden secret.

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Sculptures Parks Art

Know Before You Go

Although you can still see some of the sculptures from the very top of the West approach to the Stadium of Light when coming down Keir Hardie Way, the only place you are currently able to see all of them is from the top of the North river bank behind the Stadium of Light looking down to the river.

When approached from Millennium Way, the sculptures are on the steep bank immediately to the left as you exit the yellow car park. If there is no parking at the football ground, there is on-street parking in the industrial estate off Easington Street North.

The best way to see the sculptures is to scramble down the bank past the marker stone, although the banks are quite steep and not suitable for those with mobility issues.

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Added By

Kraft Kreator

Edited By

jooniur, Global Sightseer

  • jooniur
  • Global Sightseer

Published

September 26, 2018

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  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1605299.stm
Steel Men Of Wearside
413 Millenium Way
Monkwearmouth, England, SR5 1BN
United Kingdom
54.914245, -1.390828
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Nearby Places

Pann's Bank Mural

Sunderland, England

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,231
Stories 145

Nearby Places

Pann's Bank Mural

Sunderland, England

miles away

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St. Peter's Church

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,231
Stories 145

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