Curious Sunderland

Sunderland Echo reporter Tony Gillan and some special guests take us on a journey to the peculiar corners of Sunderland's past and present.
Taking in fact, fiction - and the in-betweeny bits! - we look at a mythic giant worms, a Victorian murderess, a TikTok sensation's coastline discoveries, ghost stories, Daleks and more.

[@northeastnostalgic5071]

Thank you so much for asking me to contribute to this video! It's amazing how much curious history is in Sunderland 😊

[@garybuckley6908]

Thank you so much! Thoroughly enjoyed this

[@sonofjak1971]

Fantastic, 52 years a Sunderland lad and i didn't know about most of these stories. Many thanks.

[@and3583]

There was talk of the Lambton Worm having milked a dozen cows. Also, Sunderland AFC were associated with the lucky black cat in the early 1970s. There was the Black Cat club at Roker Park and I bought a black cat badge in the gift shop there around 1972. Aged about 9 years old, I noticed that Sunderland won every match that I attended when I was wearing the badge. I was wearing it at the Top Rank Club in Park Lane on the day in 1973 when we won the F.A. cup. They had a giant screen and a never-before-seen video projector installed so we could watch the match live. My uncle snuck me in and claimed I was 15 😂

[@stevenhenzell8964]

Love watching these videos by the echo

[@CT-uy2mm]

Very informative! Enjoyed Tony's humour.

[@DeadAirTV]

One of the history researchers on my channel works at the CWGC. I’ve sent her it and I’ll post back if she can explain why he’s being maintained by CWGC

[@DeadAirTV]

Just following up on this - he was buried before the CWGC purchased that section, so he happens to be buried within their area - this is known as an I&C (Incidental & Conducive). This is likely in this case because he is on the end, and they’ve just kept the CWGC in a line with his. This is quite a common thing around the UK. Usually they buy plots of land in square areas, so it’s likely his was just inside their boundary. They will still keep up the grave and maintain it as it’s within their land. This is usually done only if they have a headstone already in place. They always make sure the CWGs are nice and tidy. I think this may have solved the mystery 😂

[@EdMcF1]

If you go due east from Roker over the North Sea, you'd land on the northernmost island in Germany, which sticks up over the Danish border. If you go to the top end of Whitley Bay beach, you'd be opposite Denmark.

[@EdMcF1]

Great Orme Head in Llandudno is also a snake/dragon's hill.

[@mackemmaestro2010]

Are any of the tales of local folklore older than your phones case I ask myself?

[@gabrieldepablo8396]

Thank you! this is great!

[@biometrix1000]

I'm Cauld (the cauld lad of hylton) cauld pronounced card..I'm card (cauld) ..even a pub in H~ylton castle called " The Cauld Lad" your welcome.

[@jimtuckwell8142]

Maccomo`s headstone was moved to it`s present location amongst the CWGC headstones by council workers when the cemetery plot in front of the war graves plot was cleared . The stone was situated further forward near the footpath to the right of the war-graves plot . The headstone does not mark the location of Maccomo`s actual grave ,