Our city centres are rooted in heritage and industry but over time the historical gems can be lost under the layers of modern life and architecture, falling into disrepair. Aiming to bring Sunderland’s high street heritage back to life, Sunderland Heritage Action Zone is an initiative set up by Historic England North East. They are aiming to build on work by Sunderland City Council and local partners to revive historic Sunderland and reconnect it with the modern city centre.
We’ve been working with the team to map and illustrate some of these iconic gems around the city to showcase the array of wonderful architectural, heritage highlights to residents and visitors. As heritage geeks we love discovering new buildings so it was a treat to work on.
The final outcome is a new interpretive wayfinding map, the result of intense research and detailed illustration to carefully layer the old and new part of the city footprint.