Sunderland · Town
Hendon
The streets built to house the men who built Sunderland's ships — a dockside district with the sea on one side and the harbour on the other.
Built for the docks
Hendon grew through the 19th century as Sunderland's shipbuilding and port trade expanded along the Wear, and rows of terraced housing went up to hold the shipyard, dock and railway workers who powered that growth. Sitting just south of the river's mouth, Hendon has always lived in the shadow — and the employ — of Sunderland's docks, with the Port of Sunderland still operating in the area today.
The Port of Sunderland, right on Hendon's doorstep, still handles commercial cargo today — one of the few reminders left that this stretch of the Wear was once in constant motion with ships.
Life by the water
Unlike the tightly packed streets further inland, Hendon has its own beach and foreshore, giving the district a split identity: a working dockside on one hand, a stretch of coast on the other. That mix has shaped Hendon's character for well over a century.
Hendon today
Like much of Wearside, Hendon has been through repeated waves of clearance and renewal since the great shipyards closed in the late 20th century. It remains one of Sunderland's most historic districts, a short walk from the city centre, the university and the seafront at Roker and Seaburn.
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Quick facts
- Borough
- Sunderland
- Historic county
- County Durham
- Location
- Mouth of the River Wear
- Known for
- Dockside heritage, Hendon beach