Witherwack is a suburb in the north of Sunderland,

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newc ...

, England, situated between Red House to the west,

Carley Hill Carley Hill is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in North East England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest a ...

to the east and Marley Pots to the south. The origin of the name Witherwack is unknown. The spelling of the name has changed since the Ordnance Survey maps of 1862 (and as late as 1945) on which it was spelled Whitherwhack. The area is an overspill

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

, usually regarded as part of ''Greater Southwick'', and was built in the 1960s. In common with most estates in Sunderland, the street names all start with the same letter - 'W' in the case of Witherwack. The whole of the estate falls within the SR5

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

. It is represented by three Labour councillors as part of the Southwick ward on Sunderland City Council.

Fulwell Quarry Nature Reserve

Fulwell Quarry, known locally as Witherwack Quarry, is a Local Nature Reserve located in the disused quarries at Fulwell. It is bounded by Witherwack to the west,

to the south, Newcastle Road to the east and the

South Tyneside South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is bordered by all four other boroughs in Tyne and Wear – Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, North Tyneside to the no ...

county border to the north. Road access is via Newcastle Road only; however, the site is also accessible by foot from the neighbouring suburbs of Witherwack and Carley Hill. Public transport is available on Go North East services 9,20 The nature reserve is of national importance due to its rare

Magnesian Limestone The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between Ha ...

geology. The wildflower meadows and grasslands are favourable habitats for many butterflies, such as the

large skipper The large skipper (''Ochlodes sylvanus'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Taxonomy It was long known as '' Ochlodes venatus'', but this is a Far Eastern relative. There is still some dispute whether this species should be considered a ...

, the

small skipper The small skipper (''Thymelicus sylvestris'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Appearance It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below and it has a wingspan of 25� ...

and the dingy skipper. Plants include '' Fragaria vesca'' (wild strawberry) and '' Blackstonia perfoliata'' (yellow-wort). Looking to the north and east, there are good views of the Cleadon Hills and the North Sea coast.

Transport

Witherwack does not have its own

Tyne and Wear Metro The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland (together forming Tyne and Wear). The network opened in ...

station. However, nearby Stadium of Light Metro station on Newcastle Road, and

Seaburn Metro station Seaburn is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburbs of Fulwell and Seaburn, City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 31 March 2002, following the opening of the extension from Pelaw to South Hylton. Hi ...

on Station Road, are both within easy reach from Witherwack by bus services 16 and the 135/36 (Sunday and nights only) respectively. There is a

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

facility near Witherwack based at Stadium of Light Metro station. There are 182 free car parking spaces available. Witherwack is located less than a mile north of the Queen Alexandra Bridge, giving good road links into Sunderland City Centre. Witherwack is located close to the A1231 for road links to

Washington, Tyne and Wear Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland district of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the Washington family, which George Washington descended from. It is located between Ches ...

, which in turn feeds into the A1. Witherwack, via the A1231, is close to the A19; north to the

Tyne Tunnel The Tyne Tunnel is the name given to two 2-lane vehicular toll tunnels under the River Tyne in North East England. Originally opened in 1967 and expanded in 2011, the tunnels connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North S ...

and

North Tyneside North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It forms part of the greater Tyneside conurbation. North Tyneside Council is headquartered at Cobalt Park, Wallsend. North Tyneside is bordered ...

, or south to

Peterlee Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England. It lies between Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east and Durham to the west. It gained town status in 1948 under the New Towns Act 1946. The act also cre ...

and

Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...

. Witherwack has been built around a purpose built bus terminus, which is situated at the eastern end of Wiltshire Road. Service 16 operated by Stagecoach Group, provides a service from Witherwack to Sunderland City Centre via Carley Hill Road, Southwick

References

{{Reflist

External links

Map of Witherwack

Sunderland Bus Routes
City of Sunderland suburbs Local Nature Reserves in Tyne and Wear Sunderland