The railway was a huge part of the historic East End, with trains travelling down to the docks in Hendon. We spoke to community member Ronnie, who told us an altogether more personal memory of the railway: travelling in the cab of the train with his train-driver dad when he should have been at school and cooking breakfast on the hot shovel. Many of the residents we spoke to talked about their ambition to be a train driver as a young boy, and so this story captured that and the closeness of families in the East End. 

"Songs of the Streets" is a participatory heritage project, which has explored the oral & community heritage of the area around Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland (17Nineteen). Community musicians have worked with residents to gather unique local stories about their own heritage & have  turned them into songs & music creating a unique music map of Old Sunderland.

The musicians working on the project are Holly Rees and Paige Temperley.

It is a partnership project between We Make Culture and 17Nineteen, and has been made possible due to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Down By The Tracks (for Ronnie) by Holly Rees

One of the first and most fascinating stories we heard about Holy Trinity was William Elliot’s letter. Discovered in 2020 by in the back of a pew as the church was undergoing refurbishment, young William had written his letter on the back of an old sermon in 1897, probably during a church service. William lived at Sunderland Orphan Asylum and sang in the choir at Holy Trinity. His letter addresses the reader as 'Dear Friend' and asks that he be remembered as 'the leading voice' of the choir. The letter has now been conserved and hangs in 17Nineteen’s Lady Chapel, next to the pew it was found beneath. We situated Paige’s song about William at the heart of the church. 

"Songs of the Streets" is a participatory heritage project, which has explored the oral & community heritage of the area around Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland (17Nineteen). Community musicians have worked with residents to gather unique local stories about their own heritage & have  turned them into songs & music creating a unique music map of Old Sunderland.

The musicians working on the project are Holly Rees and Paige Temperley.

It is a partnership project between We Make Culture and 17Nineteen, and has been made possible due to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Down By The Tracks (for Ronnie) by Holly Rees

We Make Culture

Related tracks