Mackie's Corner.
Hutchinson's Buildings was erected between 1850 and 1853 by Ralph Hutchinson, a local ship builder and timber importer. It was a substantial commercial development on the corner of Bridge Street and High Street West, and replaced a pair of houses on Bridge Street, the remainder of the extensive plot being vacant. The building comprised a four-storey terrace of eight self-contained vertical units of ground-floor shops and basements, with domestic accommodation above. The architect was George Andrew Middlemiss (1815-1887) a local builder, surveyor, architect and auctioneer. James Dowell was the contractor. The use of palace-fronting, in which long, grand classical facades clad a number of individual units, may have been influenced by the earlier use of the style at Grainger Town, Newcastle (1835-42; Grade II, II* and I). The inclusion at Hutchinson's Buildings of a domed, curved corner clad in pilasters is considered to be a direct stylistic influence from Grainger Town demonstrated by the Central Exchange Buildings (1838; Grade II).
Many of Hutchinson's Building's tenants have been identified in documents from the 1850s onwards including some notable Sunderland retailers such as Mackie’s the hatters who first occupied the curved corner plot, and the Specialite Clothing Company an outdoor and waterproof clothing specialist. Not all shopkeepers chose to reside in the accommodation above their shops, some of which was let separately.
In about 1855 the corner dome was altered by the addition of a stone drum in order to incorporate a pair of clock faces at what had become a popular meeting point known as Mackie's Corner. Shop fronts were also modified by the use of iron to create larger plate-glass windows. Overall however, the buildings remained much as constructed when the Great Fire of Sunderland struck on 18 July 1898. The catastrophic fire led to the demolition and rebuilding of 104-109 High Street West (separately listed at Grade II, HER 4741). The mid-C19 part of Hutchinson's Buildings largely unaffected by the fire, was retained, although the interior of number 103 High Street West was also rebuilt in the late C19.
During the C20 and C21 the upper floors of the building were opened up as office accommodation and became physically linked to the rebuilt section of the building forming 104-109 High Street West, thus allowing circulation between the two parts of the building. The basements, ground and first floors remained mostly self-contained until the mid-C20 when doorways were opened between them and horizontal access was gained across floors. The ground floor shop fronts were remodelled in the early C20 by the national shoe chain Manfield and Son, who also converted the first floor to a showroom. The second and third floors were refurbished in the 1980s, including the insertion of suspended ceilings, but original plaster work remains visible above. With the exception of the shop front to 1 and 1A Bridge Street, shop fronts were remodelled in the 1990s, and in 2018 the ground floor of 103 High Street West was amalgamated with the adjacent building and converted to a cafe.

'Grocers and tea warehouse, 1873 to 1877 for Grimshaw & Son to designs of Frank Caws. Hindu-Gothic in style. The terracotta work is by Doulton & Co and the contractor was Henry Hopper. The building incorporates an early-C19 house and a later-C19 building to its rear. C20 ground floor and other internal alterations. MATERIALS: the 1870s building is polychrome, using red and white brick, terracotta and faience. It has a slate roof with terracotta crestings, faience gable copings and faience and brick chimneys. The early-C19 house is of hand-made brick with painted ashlar dressings, beneath a Welsh slate roof and brick chimney. The later-C19 rear building is red brick with ashlar dressings.
PLAN: L-shaped, comprising a purpose-built grocers and tea warehouse occupying a corner site at the junction of Fawcett Street and High Street West. Attached to the left is a rectangular early-C19 house, separated at the rear from a rectangular later-C19 building by a rectangular inner court/light well.
EXTERIOR: occupying a prominent corner site the 1870s building has two storeys plus attic and basement. It has four first floor windows to Fawcett Street and five first floor windows to High Street West, and a canted corner.
The ground floor has a glazed C20 shop front with a full-width tiled C20 fascia. The segmental pointed-arched arcaded first floor has clasping rings, crocket capitals to nook shafts, alternate block jambs, raised pointed arches and a roll-moulded dripstring. Within each arch sits an ogee arched sash window set back within the arcade. The window heads have fleur-de-lis finials in front of lozenge-patterned terracotta spandrels; within each lozenge sits a flower design. Windows have sash frames with sloping faience sills. The eaves cornice has a corbelled trefoil frieze. The attic windows have faience surrounds, similar to the first floor arcade, with alternate coloured block jambs. The windows set within each arch comprise a trefoil-headed transom light over small mullioned lights. Each of the attic windows is placed within a high gable with paired round-headed niches in a banded faience decoration, and moulded coping above. Between gables, faience elephants carrying tea chests are set in bracketed corniced shelves under bracketed gables with trefoil barge boards, crocket decoration and elaborate finials. A round oriel corner turret with nook-shafts has an arcaded central light and blind arches, below a band of linked splayed shafts and a wide eaves with gargoyles. Above this sits a further band of gablets, at the foot of a bicolour banded round turret with bracketed eaves and a Buddhist-style conical faience roof with a series of ringed ribs. There is an inscription along the turret recording DOULTON & CO as manufacturers of the terracotta and HENRY HOPPER as the builder. The steeply-pitched roof has ridges from each gable and tall chimneys with faience copings behind the elephant gablets.
Attached to, and considerably lower in height, is a former three-bay, three-storey town house on Fawcett Street. Above the C20 ground floor shop front and facia, it is constructed of hand-made brick, and windows have wedge stone lintels and projecting stone sills. First floor windows have renewed plain sashes and the second floor windows are smaller casements. There is an eaves gutter cornice and a stone-coped parapet. Above are small flat-headed dormer windows and a tall right transverse-ridge chimney.
The later-C19 building to the rear fronts Station Street; it is red brick with ashlar dressings beneath a pitched slate roof. It has three storeys and three bays and was probably constructed as a warehouse. The ground floor has a later brick façade with a broad shop facia, pierced by an entrance and a pair of plain, barred window openings. The first floor round-headed windows have heavy, keyed stone heads resting on a decorative stone impost band, and are fitted with fixed and casement frames. The segmental-headed second floor windows rest upon a stone, moulded sill band, and have similar stone heads to the first floor. There is a decorative frieze to the eaves immediately beneath a moulded eaves cornice, and the stone verges terminate in prominent moulded round-headed water tables.
INTERIOR: internally, the original three buildings function as a single unit, joined at the centre by a full-height light well. Interiors are all plain with suspended ceilings and inserted WCs. The ground floor is largely open-plan with original partitions removed as part of its conversion to a bank. A timber staircase in its original position rises through the full height of the building (boxed in to the ground floor). It has a moulded hand rail and newel posts of alternate rectangular and turned sections; the upper parts have plain stick balusters which are considered to be original. A plain, secondary staircase in its original position gives direct access from High Street West to the first floor. The first floor retains original window joinery to all three former buildings including moulded timber architraves, panelled soffits, jambs and aprons. Other historic features include a simple fireplace, round-headed alcove, plaster coving, simple timber boards to the walls, a four-panel door and a gas mantle to the former early-C19 house, and windows and joinery to the light well. In places the internal rain water system is visible within the walls in the form of cast-iron gutters. The King Post roof structure remains; it has some replacement timbers and what appear to be assembly marks to its main trusses. The basement has cast-iron columns supporting the floors above.'

Terrace of 6 houses, now shops and offices. 1800; mid 20th century shops. Painted incised stucco with painted ashlar dressings. 3 storeys, 16 x 3 windows; 3 windows each house except end houses which have 2 each. Nos. 216 and 217 are now run into one shop. Rusticated right end quoins. Windows on upper floors mostly renewed sashes, all with sill bands; label moulds to left windows. Eaves band and blocking course except to 5 right bays which have eaves gutter cornice and blocking course. Low pitched roof, hipped at right. Small gabled dormers, at right and on right return, have glazing bars. Rendered ridge chimneys. Right return has rusticated quoins, eaves gutter cornice.

Offices. C1900. Ashlar; Welsh slate roof with stone gable coping. 3 storeys and basement, 9 windows. Double doors, each 6 - panelled, and semi-circular overlight below 3rd and 4th windows in doorcase of keyed architrave in frame of fluted pilasters and scrolled pediment rising between first - floor windows. Secondary 6 - panelled door in first bay with block rustication to lower part of Tuscan engaged columns supporting entablature with pulvinated frieze and segmental pediment. Plain sashes, except for wide window in two right end ground - floor bays, in plain reveals will sill strings; triple keystone on ground floor, top floor with entablature with CENTRAL BUILDINGS incised in frieze below prominent eaves windows between pilasters with monogram in pedimented aedicule; balustrade from gable to left end. Designed by John Hall of Henderson and Hall.

Customs House. C1900. Ashlar with pink granite door surround; roof of graduated Lakeland slate with stone gable copings. 2 storeys and attic, 3 windows. 6 - panelled double door in set - back bay at left in granite architrave under panelled frieze with cornice on scroll brackets; painted Royal Arms above. At right, gabled projection with slightly projecting central panel containing wide ground floor mullioned and transomed window, in keyed round - arched rusticated architrave. Strings at first floor level and sills of first - floor 2 - light mullion and transom windows, paired in gabled projection and framed by Tuscan pilasters; eaves gutter cornice. Similar paired windows in oriel of pedimented gable have scroll brackets to pilasters with entablature and cornice, and gable copings have pediments at base and the upper with tall moulded finials. Steeply - pitched roof has 4 - pane sash in tall pedimented dormer over entrance bay and tall paired ashlar chimneys rising from parapet of right return, which has gabled second bay in plainer style than the front gable.

Terrace of 6 houses, now 5 offices, shop and restaurant. (Nos. 45 and 46 have been combined). Second quarter C19. Garden wall bond brick (5 and one) with painted ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roof with brick chimneys. Each house 2 storeys and basement; 3 bays except 4 to No. 48. Steps up to double panelled doors in Sunderland - type doorcases, the doors folding back to form panelled reveals to Tuscan pilasters and later entablature at Nos. 43, 44 and 48, and Corinthian to Nos. 45/46 with later pediment. Original doors to Nos. 44 and 48; No. 48 has moulded pediment. Wedge stone lintels to renewed sashes, with projecting sills to ground floor and sill band to first floor. No. 47 has doorcase and ground - floor windows removed, ground - floor shop window inserted. Roof has inserted 20th century roof light to Nos. 43 and 48; transverse - ridge chimneys.

Former general post office, now local delivery office, and railings. 1903. By Sir Henry Tanner. Sandstone ashlar with red granite door architraves to main block; graduated Lakeland slate roof with ashlar chimneys and copper ridge; cast - iron railings. EXTERIOR: main block at right 3 storeys, 1:2:3 x 1:3:1 windows; left sorting office one storey, 3:3:3:3 windows. Main block has panelled door at right of right 3 - bay gabled section, in architrave under bracketed cornice, mullioned and transomed windows to left and in bracketed first floor oriels in outer bays flanking arched recess with low relief POST OFFICE, sill strings continuing from plinths of pilasters. These 3 bays are linked by bracketed cornice breaking forward over Tuscan pilasters defining bays and surmounted by corniced blocking course with small pedimented arches above windows. Second floor has 3 pairs of windows under bracketed cornice; shaped gable has side consoles and raised top panel framing attached Corinthian columns of arched window surround with high pediment. Left one - bay gabled section in similar style has a 3 - light window in first floor oriel, and simpler gable with 3 small light and high pediment. 2 - bay section set back between the gabled bays has arcaded ground floor with panelled door at left and window in recess at right, and 2 - light windows above, the right first floor bay blank. Steeply - pitched roofs run back from gables and have chimneys above eaves, and high domed ridge lantern. Right return to public garden has simpler centre and pilastered outer sections with Tuscan below and Corinthian order on first floor, and top floor has lunettes between big consoles on dentilled first - floor cornice. One - storey block behind main office has keyed architraves to round - arched windows in left part, with outer bays breaking forward under pediments, and 3 gabled set back sections each with 3 windows, the central under lunettes in pedimented pilastered centres, all with sill string. Railings punctuated by patterned panels link projecting sections on West Sunniside and continue around right return. Rear to Norfolk Street is mostly a mirror image to the West Sunniside front. (Corfe T: The Buildings of Sunderland 1814 - 1914.: Newcastle upon Tyne: 1983-: 30).

House, part of a terrace, now offices, with dwarf wall, railings and area cover attached. 1840. Painted brick with painted ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof with brick chimney; wrought - iron railings and area cover. 2 storeys and basement, 3 windows. Altered steps to panelled door at left of Sunderland type, folding back to form reveals to inner half - glazed door with plain overlight; doorcase of Tuscan pilasters and entablature with shallow dentils to frieze. Wedge stone lintels and projecting stone sills to renewed plain sashes. Roof has transverse - ridge chimney at right. Handrail with ramped spiral end and part balustrade retained when steps altered. Curved area cover behind spike - headed railings on dwarf wall between balustrade and end railings also with ramped top rail.

2 houses, now offices.1790 (owner's information). Flemish bond brick, the ground floor of No. 30 at left painted, except for the top floor of No. 30, with ashlar plinth and painted ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof on each property. 3 storeys, each house 3 windows. Steps up to recessed 6 - panelled doors and overlights with radiating glazing bars at the left of each, No. 30 at left in plain arched reveals with renewed brick surround, No. 29 at right in panelled arched reveals with doorcase of Tuscan pilasters, leafy capitals described in previous description missing at time of survey, and entablature with patera in friezes on columns supporting open pediment set on painted stucco wedge lintel. No. 30 has ground - floor glazing renewed; top floor partly rebuilt in garden wall bond, with one renewed sash, others with glazing bars, brick sills and soldier course lintels; all other window sashes with glazing bars, wedge stone lintels and projecting stone sills.

School of 1849 established as the School for the Chapel of St George, (for the nearby Baptist Church). Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible. 2 storeys, 5 windows. Internal steps up to panelled door and high overlight with glazing bars in surround of block - rusticated Tuscan attached columns and entablature. Windows, with renewed glazing bars and pivoting central lights, have lugged architraves, those on ground floor with panelled labels from moulded sills down to plinth, those on first floor on sill string. Rusticated quoins interrupted by first - floor band; eaves entablature with bracketed gutter cornice. (Milburn GE and Miller ST: Sunderland River, Town and People: Sunderland: 1988-: 143).