MAC Sunderland

Thank you to KT Wheeler for her excellent article in the Sunderland Echo on The Fire Station winning a top award from RIBA North East.

Credit is due to our superb architects & construction team Flanagan Lawrence, Howarth Litchfield Architects, Brims Construction Ltd, Idibri, JC Consulting, Sine Consulting Ltd
and Artis Consulting

Sunderland's Fire Station scoops prestigious architecture award

Great piece in Sunderland Echo by Rob Lawson celebrating 10 years of Cultural Spring in Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Congratulations to Emma Horsman, Graeme Thompson, Ray Spencer & all the team that have delivered this place-changing project and thanks to Arts Council England for supporting us.

Some great acts coming to The Fire Station this autumn http://thefirestation.org.uk

Nik Kershaw - Fri 4 Oct https://shorturl.at/yJP12

The Undertones - Fri 11 Oct https://shorturl.at/ozBL1

Peter Hook & The Light - Sat 12 Oct https://shorturl.at/hlpBX

Hugh Cornwell - Sat 23 Nov https://shorturl.at/kmI68

NEW SHOW
Join us for A Night of Sunderland Music with Mackem legends The Futureheads and The Lake Poets this December - celebrating 10 years of MAC Sunderland.
- Friday 2 December -
Book now 👉 https://bit.ly/3T3V0tv

R E C R U I T M E N T
Tremendous opportunity for a new General Manager - Multi Bar & Bistro Operation for the Engine Room, new auditorium bar and the Dun Cow - 5 bars and the bistro

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2522245072
whamconsultancy.com
Email [email protected] for more details.

We are delighted to share news that thanks to Arts Council England and the government’s , MAC Sunderland and Sunderland Culture can deliver our superb new Auditorium The Fire Station for the people of Sunderland, UK and the North East.

Looking forward to opening late 2021!

Update on the Fire Station Auditorium build in Sunderland.
The main picture is the current view from the balcony. The other two images are the view from the mixing desk and the view from the stage once the Auditorium is complete in 2021.

Exciting!

Great interview with Rebecca Ball, Creative Director of Sunderland Culture, about the Cultural change happening in ⁦‪Sunderland‬⁩ despite the challenge of COVID-19

Back to the drawing board? - North East Times

https://netimesmagazine.co.uk/editorial/back-to-the-drawing-board/

Back to the drawing board? - North East Times The arts and cultures are part of the recovery from the coronavirus crisis, not an optional extra.

The scaffolding around the Dun Cow is now down following careful restoration by Ainsworth Spark Architects and S V Rutter Restoration. Thank you to the Heritage Fund and the Bishopwearmouth Townscape Heritage Scheme managed by Sunderland City Council. This iconic Edwardian beauty is back to its best and another sign of Sunderland’s regeneration. Happy

Thanks to Graeme Whitfield of the Journal for choosing the Dun Cow and the Ship Isis as being ‘perfect places for a pint’ and for featuring a picture of the Dun Cow’s magnificent back bar. Couldn’t agree more.
The Isis has reopened and the Dun Cow will also reopen once social distancing restrictions allow.

Thank you to the Journal for allowing us to highlight some of Sunderland's cultural gems. The wonderful Empire and its surrounding buildings are so important to the Culture-led regeneration of this part of Sunderland. Despite the current challenging environment, there is much to be proud of from the past and an exciting future to look forward to.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/passionate-people-passionate-places-how-18701773?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

When the Fire Station in Sunderland first opened in 1908 it had its own Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb - they had wonderful headgear in those days.

It’s good to remember and say thank you for all the brave firefighters that have kept us safe over the years.

This year the Summer Streets Festival moved online because of the pandemic and was still a great success. Thanks to the Sunderland Echo for reminding us how wonderful it has been over the years. Since the first SS in Thompson Park in 2014, it has got better and more popular each year thanks to Ross Millard and a brilliant team. We can’t wait to have it back again outside in 2021.

Latest progress photographs of the Fire Station Auditorium from Howard Litchfield working with Brims Construction, Sine Consulting Ltd and JC Consulting.

You can now get a sense of the building’s internal and external proportions from the now completed steel frame which will have a brick and blockwork outer skim with areas of Render and Terracotta that will complement the adjoining Fire Station.

After many months of repair and restoration, the scaffolding has finally been taken down on the Peacock. This beautiful, historic building was in a terrible state before the work started as previous owners had allowed it to fall into serious disrepair over many decades. The roof leaked like a sieve and the stonework was crumbling into dust. Now following major work and significant investment and thanks to a skilled team of architects, roofers, builders and stonemasons and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, delivered as part of the Bishopwearmouth Townscape Heritage Scheme, it is now looking back to its best. Once it is safe, Barry and Dan are looking to forward to welcoming customers back to one of Sunderland’s most iconic pubs. There will be good food and drink, great music and a fantastic atmosphere. Can’t wait.

WOLFSON FOUNDATION BACKS SUNDERLAND’S

NEW FIRE STATION AUDITORIUM

We are delighted that Sunderland's new Fire Station Auditorium has received a welcome boost from a prestigious national charity. The Wolfson Foundation is to grant significant financial support to the Sunderland Fire Station project.

The Foundation is an independent, grant-making charity, whose aim is to improve the civic health of society and has given more than £900 million in grants (£1.9 billion in real terms) to more than 11,000 projects throughout the country. It gives grants to projects it recognises as making a real difference. In this case the Wolfson grant will be spent on the Auditorium’s retractable seating.

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation said, “We are delighted to be funding another exciting project in the North East, and very much admire the ambition of the project - which is highly significant for the people of Sunderland and beyond. The cultural quarter promises to be an exciting development, and it feels particularly important to be involved at this challenging moment for the cultural sector in the UK generally.”

Paul Callaghan, Chair of the MAC Trust, said: “We’re delighted the Wolfson Foundation is supporting the Fire Station Auditorium project. This is a game-changing development for Sunderland that will bring a new cultural offer to people of all ages and is already acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of this part of the city.

“The Foundation always promotes ‘excellence’ in the areas that it funds and we are pleased and honoured that our project meets its high standards and it has decided to support us here in Sunderland.”

When it opens in 2021, the Auditorium will be run by Sunderland Culture, the city-wide organisation established by the MAC Trust, the City Council and the University of Sunderland that already operates a number of the city’s key cultural venues including the National Glass Centre and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.

The Auditorium is being built on High Street West, near to The Empire and adjacent to The Fire Station, which was transformed from a derelict Edwardian fire station into a vibrant arts and culture venue thanks to a £2.5m National Heritage Lottery grant.

The MAC Trust has won the funding from the Wolfson Foundation as part of its drive to create a £18m cultural quarter centred around the 110-year-old building that has also transformed the neighbouring Dun Cow and the Peacock pubs as part of the project. The £11m Auditorium is the MAC Trust’s next phase, a 450-seater auditorium designed by award-winning architect Jason Flanagan and being delivered by Sunderland-based construction company, Brims.

The Fire Station and the new Auditorium are also supported by Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sunderland City Council, Garfield Weston Foundation and The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust.

Image Credits

Photographs by David Allan

CGI images by Flanagan Lawrence

Good to see that our pub, the Dun Cow, has been chosen by Graeme Whitfield in the Journal/Chronicle Passionate People Passionate Places campaign as one of the best pubs in the North East.

We’ll all raise a glass to that once the pandemic is over!

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/passionate-people-passionate-places-16-18499167?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

The COVID-19 lockdown meant that progress on the new Auditorium build was held-up for a few weeks but now, following strict Construction Industry guidelines, building has restarted. At this stage the work is still all outdoor so Brims Construction team are able to adhere to social distancing. The steel frame has now been erected so you can start to see the size and scale of the auditorium. This will be completed by mid-June and then the ‘skin’ of the building will start to appear on the ‘bones’. We are still on schedule to open in mid 2021. Let’s hope for fine weather and no ‘second wave’

VENUE DIRECTOR for the FIRE STATION AUDITORIUM

Supported by Arts Council England, Sunderland City Council, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Catherine Cookson Trust and others, the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust (MAC Trust) is building a superb new venue at the Fire Station in Sunderland.

Hosting music, theatre, dance, comedy and more, holding 450 seats/800 standing, it will be managed by Sunderland Culture and is opening in Spring 2021. We’re now hiring a VENUE DIRECTOR.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with strong commercial acumen, in-depth understanding of the music industry, creative flair, vision, ambition and a passion for applying these skills and talents in the cultural sector in Sunderland.

Apply here https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/about-us/opportunities/

The steel has only been on site for couple of days at the Sunderland Fire Station Auditorium but it’s already taking shape - like giant Meccano but a lot more complicated. Thanks to David Allan for the super photographs.

We are delighted that Sunderland-based Brims Construction are starting to build Sunderland’s new Fire Station Auditorium. Designed by world-class architects, Flanagan Lawrence, it will open in 2021 and will hold 450 seated or 800 standing. The project is being led by the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust (MAC Trust) and will be managed and operated by Sunderland Culture. Our thanks go to Arts Council England and Sunderland City Council for their support in delivering this wonderful cultural venue for the benefit of the people of Sunderland and the North East. We will be updating everyone on the project will great photographs of the build process by David Allan.

Reminder from two years ago of the Blue Plaques that were placed on the Dun Cow and the Peacock. Both Grade 2 Listed Buildings are from 1901 and are now being meticulously restored. These plaques recognise their history and their architects and reference the original ‘Peacock’ Inn on the current site from the late eighteen century.

We are delighted that work has begun to restore the exteriors of the Dun Cow and the Peacock. Both are Grade 2 Listed and are magnificent examples of Sunderland’s Edwardian architecture and we are extremely grateful to Heritage Lottery and Sunderland City Council for their support in bringing such wonderful buildings back to their former glory.

The Peacock needs the most work. The roof has leaked badly ever since we bought it and it will now be reroofed using heritage techniques and materials. The sandstone of the building has also worn badly and there is considerable work to do.

The Dun Cow’s roof needs some repair but not a full reroof and the work here will concentrate on the beautiful stonework.

The work is being undertaken by SV Rutter, a specialist in restoring historic buildings. As they say “At SV Rutter we have learned through experience how to preserve the beauty and majesty of historic and listed buildings whilst renovating to modern standards.”

The project is being led by Peter Nugent of Ainsworth Spark Architects, a specialist conservation architect, who also led on the renovation of the Fire Station.

We know the project is in good hands.

We have asked David Allan to photograph the work during the lifetime of the project and we will be posting regular updates so that people can see how the work is progressing.

This is another significant step in the regeneration of this area of the city and both buildings are integral parts of Sunderland’s Music, Arts and Culture Quarter.

The story is covered in an article by Tony Gillan in the Sunderland Echo.

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/retro/sunderlands-historic-dun-cow-and-peacock-pubs-set-for-ps760000-work-to-restore-their-historic-features-487979

We are delighted that the Fire Station and AinsworthSpark Architects have been nominated for the Royal Institute of British Architects MacEwen Award for ‘architecture for the common good’. The project has restored this iconic building for the people of Sunderland and the MAC Trust could not have done this without tremendous support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sunderland City Council.

https://www.ribaj.com/macewen/macewen-longlist-2019

See the before and after photographs. Thanks to David Allan