Engine House on the South Pier, (SMR 2867).

The South Pier, Bishopwearmouth, with a Tidal Lighthouse and Tide Gauge. Now known as the Old South Pier, it was built between 1725 and 1730. Extensive reconstruction and some demolition was carried out in 1982 {2}. Construction began in 1723 and continued through the following decades. At this time the river had two navigable channels, one nearer the north bank and one nearer the south bank. With the construction of the South Pier, the southern channel (known as the "Sledway") was opened out and became the main shipping channel {3}.

Two shipyards; ‘Liddles Building Yard’ to the west and ‘Pott’s Building Yard’ to the east are shown on Wood’s 1826 Plan of the Town of Sunderland. Pott’s yard includes a ‘Dry Dock’, presumably a floating structure positioned on the riverside. Wylam Wharf bounds Pott’s Yard to the east, and Liddles Yard is bounded to the west by Hutchinson’s Docks. There is a range of buildings between both yards and other buildings scattered around the edges of each yard.
The First Edition Ordnance Survey shows that each of the yards had been upgraded since 1826 with the introduction of slipways. These facilities would tend to suggest that the yards were perhaps just as much involved in shiprepairing as in ship construction. By the 1870s the yards had both been subsumed within the Scotia Marine Engine Works (see SMR No. ???? for this).
Map Evidence
J Wood 1826, Plan of the Town of Sunderland
Two shipyards bounded by Low Street to the south, Wylam Wharf to the east and Hutchinson’s docks to the west. The western yard is ‘Liddles Building Yard’. Three structures on the western edge of the site and a row of buildings to the east. The eastern yard, ‘Pott’s Building Yard’ is quite similar, with buildings on the eastern edge of the yard and the western spine of buildings bordering on Liddles Yard. A floating dry dock lies against the river frontage of Pott’s Yard
First Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey1857, Sheet VIII.14
Yards maintain the same boundaries but each has a slipway. Liddles runs obliquely upstream, Potts’ at right angles into the channel of the Wear. The floating dry dock shown on Wood’s plan is still positioned against the river frontage of Pott’s Yard.
Second Edition Six Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1898, Sheet VIII.SW
The yards have been subsumed within the site of Scotia Marine engine Works by this time {2}.

Hutchinson’s Docks at Bishopwearmouth Panns on the southern shore of the River Wear are shown on Wood’s 1826 plan of Sunderland. The yard lies to the north of Low Street, which tracked along the bottom of the river cliff in the area; to the east of Panns Brewery; and to the west of two small shipbuilding yards (the yard immediately adjacent being marked as ‘Liddles Building Yard’, that to the east ‘Potts Building Yard’; see SMR No. 2866 for these sites). The three graving docks within Hutchinson’s Yard run at right angles from the riverside but are rather irregular in form, and were possibly only tidal docks without gates (where gates would be indicated on the plan is obscured by a thick re-drawn boundary line on the original copy).
By 1855, and the First Edition Ordnance Survey, the three docks shown by Wood remain, but now appear more regular in plan, probably indicating consolidation in stone, and all three are certainly gated. The Panns Brewery to the west had gone by this time, but it is not altogether clear whether Hutchinson’s Yard had taken over this area for ship construction, or if it had been taken over by another shipyard (the yard of S P Austin originally lay to the west of the site of the Panns Brewery; see SMR No. 2864).
By the end of the century the picture as shown on the second edition Ordnance survey had changed completely, a result of the acquisition of the site by S P Austin. The two western graving docks have entirely gone and only the northern half of the eastern graving dock remains. The site is shown as empty apart from a few minor structures.
Map Evidence
J Wood 1826, Plan of the Town of Sunderland
Three irregularly shaped docks running at right angles from the river lie within a yard annotated as ‘Hutchinson’s Docks’. Two of the docks lie adjacent at the western edge of the yard, the third sits against the eastern border of the site. It is not certain whether the docks were gated at this time as a border drawn on the original copy of the plan obscures the junction between docks and river. A range of structures lies on the southern edge of the yard. The yard is probably bounded to the west by land owned by Panns Brewery, and is bounded to the east by Liddle’s Shipbuilding Yard. Low Street forms the southern boundary of the site.
First Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey1857, Sheet VIII.14
The graving docks appear more regular in plan and may have been consolidated in stone. The range of buildings to the south is now intermittent and a new range of buildings lies on the eastern edge of the site. Whether the site to the west is now a part of Hutchinson’s Docks is uncertain.
Second Edition Six Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey1898, Sheet VII.SW
The yard is empty and the graving docks, other than the northern end of the easternmost dock, have now gone. The site is now owned by S P Austin, for descriptions of the area subsequent to this see SMR No. 2864 {2}.

Shipbuilding Yards shown by the 1st edition OS mapping showing Wear and Pearsons patent slips {1}. In 1846, Peter Austin moved his shiprepairing business on the North Sands to the south bank of the Wear at Bishopwearmouth Panns, a little way to the east of Wearmouth Bridge, and put it under the control of his son, Samuel. Two building berths were established on the new yard soon after the move, and a patent slipway was also quickly installed, probably the first on the river. In 1860, the company began trading as S P Austin and Son. Wood building ceased in 1869 and iron construction commenced in 1874 after a four year construction gap. A 300ft long graving dock was completed in the yard in 1870, and the next year Hutchinson’s Yard, immediately downstream, was acquired (SMR No.2865) and eventually all the land as far as the Scotia Engine Works (SMR No. 2866). Three new slipways for the construction of colliers were installed in the yard between 1870 and 1890, each capable of taking vessels up to 3000 tons dwt. S P Austin & Son Ltd. was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1896. Land towards Monkwearmouth Bridge was purchased in 1897 and used to house a repair shop and offices. A pontoon capable of accommodating 400-ft ships was added to the yard in 1903. The yard concentrated on the construction of colliers, and a number of fleets took out multiple orders with the yard. These included William Cory and Sons; William France, Fenwick and Co.; Stephenson Clarke Ltd; and the Pelton Steamship Co. Ltd.
The Depression reduced output at the yard almost to nothing; and only two colliers were launched in 1932 (the only launches on the Wear for that year). The yard survived, despite brief closure in 1934, and produced 26 colliers during WWII.
Austin’s Yard merged with Pickersgill’s Southwick Yard in 1954 (SMR No. 2771), when the company Austin and Pickersgill was formed. The yard closed in 1964.
Map Evidence
First Edition Twenty five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1857, Sheet VIII.14
One slipway (Wear Patent) present, launching obliquely downstream. A gridiron also lies on the riverside.
Second Edition Six Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1855, Sheet VIII.SW
No slipways shown, but graving dock is now present. Extent of yard uncertain from map, but has clearly extended downstream.
Third Edition Ordnance Survey
Pontoon Dock added. All land up to Scotia Engine Works to east now within Austin’s yard {2}.

This may have been what was also known as Bishopwearmouth Panns Glasshouse. It was opened in c.1696 by the Company of Glasshouse Owners of Sunderland passing through a number of owners until taken over by the Fenwicks c.1795. As well as bottles it produced Broad window glass, from c.1810 to 1877 and Crown window glass, 1827-1846. The works closed in 1883 and became part of Austin's Shipyard.

Brick Field. 1861
Source: Davison, P J, 1986. Brickworks of the North East, 157 site 8

Patent Ropery.

Brick Field. 1861
Source: Davison, P J, 1986. Brickworks of the North East, 157 site 7

Brick Field.