Maritime / Industrial History – The Port of Sunderland (1929) – River Wear Commissioners – Illustrated Album with Folding Maps

Title

Maritime / Industrial History – The Port of Sunderland (1929) – River Wear Commissioners – Illustrated Album with Folding Maps

Description

Rare and historically significant illustrated album titled The Port of Sunderland, published in 1929 by the River Wear Commissioners.

This official handbook was produced at the height of Sunderland’s industrial power and serves as a richly detailed visual and documentary record of one of Britain’s प्रमुख shipbuilding and coal-exporting ports just before the Great Depression.

The album combines photography, cartography, and period advertising in a format typical of high-quality industrial publications of the late 1920s.

Contents

• 27 pages of photographic plates depicting Sunderland’s docks, shipyards, and infrastructure
• 22 pages of period advertisements, featuring shipbuilders, marine engineers, and coal exporters
• 3 large multifolded maps (at rear), typically including:
  • Plan of Sunderland Docks
  • Chart of the River Wear
  • Industrial / railway connections to the port

Key Features & Importance

• A “time capsule” of Sunderland’s maritime industry at its peak
• Likely includes views of major engineering landmarks such as Wearmouth Bridge
• Documents shipbuilding activity associated with firms such as Sir James Laing & Sons
• Period advertisements provide valuable insight into the local 1929 maritime economy

The inclusion of original folding maps significantly enhances both research value and collectability.

Condition

• Original green paper covers present
• Dimensions: 28 × 21 cm
• Overall condition: Good to Very Good
• Interior pages clean and well preserved
• Light age-related wear to covers
• Folding maps: (please confirm condition if possible – e.g. intact / minor tears / fully complete)

Historical Context

Issued just prior to the Great Depression, this publication captures Sunderland at the height of its industrial and maritime significance. Soon after, the region’s shipbuilding and coal industries entered a period of severe decline, making this album an especially poignant and valuable historical document.