Back to photostream

Stadium of Light

Pictures taken on a stroll around the Stadium of Light in Sunderland

 

The Stadium of Light is 49000 seater football stadium in Sunderland. According to Sir Bob Murray then chairman of Sunderland F.C. the name Stadium of Light "was chosen for two main reasons; namely as an ever-lasting tribute to the region's mine-workers and proud industrial heritage and in the expectation that the stadium would be a guiding light in the future. The name is very much a symbolic link to the thousands of miners and Sunderland supporters that emerged from the darkness and into the light every day when they returned to the surface after working in the mine." A Davy lamp monument stands at the entrance to reflect the coal mining industry that brought prosperity to the town.

 

 

The stadium is built on the site of Monkwearmouth Colliery (or Wearmouth Colliery) which was a major North Sea coal mine located on the north bank of the River Wear, located in Sunderland. It was the largest mine in Sunderland and one of the most important in County Durham in northeast England. First opened in 1835 and in spite of the many accidents at the pit, the mine was the last to remain operating in the County Durham Coalfield. The last shift left the pit on December 10, 1993, ending over 800 years of commercial coal mining in the region. The Colliery site was cleared soon afterwards, and the Stadium of Light, the stadium of Sunderland A.F.C., was built over it, opening in July 1997 to replace nearby Roker Park.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_of_Light

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkwearmouth_Colliery

1,310 views
0 faves
0 comments
Uploaded on January 16, 2017
Taken on January 2, 2017