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Penshaw Monument

Leslie Scott, Mayor of Sunderland, on Penshaw Monument

"Penshaw Monument is an early 19th century folly located in the Penshaw area of Sunderland. It’s very majestic and sits proudly, looking down over the city. . It is a replica of the Parthenon in Athens, but here it situated near industrial Sunderland, which makes for an unusual, but arresting sight.

It’s always been a very visual construct and is possibly the monument in the North East that can be viewed from the furthest distance.  It can be seen from an amazing number of points within County Durham and even as far away as Northumberland. 

I live in East Herrington, which is about two miles from Penshaw. There is a park opposite and when the leaves fall from the trees at this time of year I have a magnificent view from my front window, passed the fork of an Elm right through to the monument.  It is particularly excellent during winter; as the sun sets it creates an orange glowing backdrop and I get the silhouette of Penshaw Monument.  It’s a picture to die for. 

Its splendour has been enhanced in recent years by the fact that it now looks down on Herrington Country Park.  Previously this was a colliery, one of the region’s largest pit heaps.  But this has now changed and the area is maturing wonderfully.  It’s a very large, with three lakes, and considerable walkways.

My wife and I often walk from Harrington along to West Harrington village, where there are two excellent pubs - the Stables and the Stackyard.  On a typical visit I would probably walk over Herrington Park, and climb the hill.  From the top you can see right across Tyneside out to the coast.

When you come down I find it’s usually time to pop in to one of the pubs for a drink.  This is the best way round to it, because if you go to the pub first, you might find you don’t want to come back out. "