Script Documentary.pdf
- 1. Created using Celtx ACT I - HISTORY _______________ "Sunderland is a city that is located within the Northern part of England. The people of the city of Sunderland are referred to as ‘Mackem's’ which is a term that originated around the 1980’s. Interestingly the history of Sunderland dates all the way back to the Roman and Anglo-Saxon empires. There are recorded settlements of Anglo Saxons who lived within Sunderland dated back to 674 when apparently a Saxon man was granted land by the king of Northumbria at the time and this ended up becoming a monastery, and a small church remains of this monastery to this day (Now known as St. Peters Church which is in Monkwearmouth.) This church is something I am fond of as the monastery it was once part of was actually a major centre for learning at one point as they had a library that contained around three hundred volumes which at the time was an impressive amount. Unfortunately, the monastery was later abandoned in the ninth century due to the fact that there had been Vikings raiding the coast. This piece of history is one of the reasons I feel I should include the church in my series of images as it represents a vast piece of history that took place within the city I have lived in my whole life." "Although Sunderland is commonly known as a ship town to the newer generations the history of the city states that before any of this Sunderland was once a fishing village around the year of 1100. And due to this as the years passed Sunderland was eventually upgraded into becoming a port where fishing was the main commercial item. For the next century or so trade was essentially just fish however in 1346 the creation of ships begun within Sunderland however this wouldn’t become what we were known for until many centuries later. Over the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries the trades begun to evolve and due to the growth of the port the exportation of salt and coal begun from as early as 13th century records claim. There is also evidence that the boatbuilding begun to take off around the later years of the 17th century, the first shipyard opening in 1672 by a family called the Goodchilds." "Interestingly in 1717 measures were taken by the River Wear commission to begin constructing the ‘South Pier’ which they made with the aim of diverting the river channel away however it took them from 1723 until 1759 to actually get this construction done."
- 2. 2. Created using Celtx "Records claim that by the eighteenth century this is when the banks of the wear were apparently beginning to have many small shipyards being built there and the shipbuilding trade begun to increase substantially from here on, even going as far as to begin building warships and commercial sailing ships. We were the fourth largest port by the year 1788 as well as being the leading coal exporter within Britain. At this time our growth just increased with the introduction of the French revolutionary war which caused an insatiable demand for coal." "By the 19th century we were still one of the biggest exporters of coal, as well as the fact we were still trading salt and glass. However, the exports of glass changed slightly with the introduction of the glassmaking that was at its height during the nineteenth century. Pottery also begun to flourish within this century as it was a way to use raw materials that were being brought into Sunderland by ships. The cities pottery was exported across Europe as it was popular within the home market. Other exports we were once known for was lime which was used in fertiliser as well as alum and copperas."
- 3. 3. Created using Celtx ACT II - MOWBRAY ________________ MUSEUM, GARDEN AND DISASTER "The Winter Gardens is also known as one of the most well known spots within the town centre of the city of Sunderland. It is the first focus of my documentary focusing on the history of Sunderland. As we know it now, the Winter Gardens is attatched to the museum which featured a cafe, gift shop as well as various floors which focus on the history of Sunderland itself as well as general history such as historical animals, culture, etc." "The museum was established in 1846 on Fawcett Street and it was the first municipally funded museum in all of England outside of London of course. It is the oonly museum that contains a known example of a fliding reptile and while it resided on Fawcett Street, thirty years after it's opening, it was moved to a much larger building where it still resides today. Its original design was based off of the Crystal Palace from London." "The original building of the Winter Gardens was unforunately damamged by a parachute mine and because the damange was irreperable, the building was demolished the following year. There was an extension built on it in the 1960's however it was not until 2001 that the building was actually refurbished and made into the Winter Gardens we are familiar with today. This restoration was funded by lottery and it meant that there was an extension added to the Winter Gardens to improve it's existing facilities. For a while, it was recoginised as being the most attended museum in England outside of London." "The Winter Garden is said to contain over 2000 plants and flowers as well as the fact that it has a koi pond inside it. It is popular with the younger generation in the city. The building also includes a spiral staircase that leads you to a metal platform that you can walk around on to look at the plants from a higher perspective. There is also a large collection of Lustreware Pottery that was made locally as it was one of our biggest exports at one point in history. There are also glass cases around the museum that include some of the glassware that was made locally at different points in the cities history. Different highlights of the museum include a stuffed lion that was acquired in 1879 as well as a stuffed walrus and the first Nissan car that was made in the city. " "For a period of time the library was moved to Fawcett
- 4. 4. Created using Celtx Street however in recent the library has been returned to bottom floor of the museum with a limited amount of books however there is access to a wide variety of books on the library's app." "There is a well-known statue that sits in Mowbray Park which depicts a woman holding her dead child in her arms which is a memorial for the victims of the Victoria Hall disaster that took place on the sixteenth of June in the year 1883. This memorial was built from donations sent from all over Britain and as well as these donations funding the memorial it also was used to fund the funerals of the children who were lost within this disaster. (The queen at the time also contributed to this disaster fund as well as giving her condolences to the families of the children.) Although the statue was first build in Mowbray Park at one point it had been moved to Bishopwearmouth century however it fell to disrepair at this time as well as being vandalised so due to this it was moved back to the park and given a protective canopy. " "The Victoria Hall disaster took place within Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England. Travelling entertainers (Mr and Mrs Fay) were holding a magic show which consisted of tricks and illusions, however at the end of the show the entertainers announced that certain children with numbered tickets were going to be presented with a prize upon exit as well as the fact that the entertainers were distributing gifts themselves to the children. However, seeing as the entertainers were giving out treats, many children feared that they would miss out, so they surged towards the staircase leading downstairs however at the bottom of these stairs there was only one door that opened inwards, and the gap was only large enough for one child to pass at once. Seeing as there were such a large number of children surging towards this one door it meant that the children at the back were pushing those at the front in hopes of not missing out on the toys however this meant that those at the front of this group were trapped and begun to get crushed to death due to the weight of the crowd behind them. Due to the stampede of children this resulted in the death of 183 children aged between the ages of three and fourteen."
- 5. 5. Created using Celtx ACT III - PENSHAW MONUMENT __________________________ "Penshaw monument is a monument that was built between 1844 and 1845 in the style of an ancient Greek temple. It was built as a memorial to John Lambton who was the first earl of Durham between the years of 1792 and 1840. It was said to have cost around £6000 at the time however the money for this was raised by subscription. Based in the temple of Hephaestus that is located in Athens, it is a temple that consists of eighteen columns as well as no roof or inner chamber. However, one of its columns includes a hidden spiral staircase that leads up to a walkway where you can see across the large plains that surround the structure. The staircase was closed at one point after a teenager fell to his death from the top of the monument and eventually the structure was fenced off in the 1930s when the structure fell into disrepair. However the structure was restore in 1939." "Surprisingly, there was no damage done to the monument during the second world war. Due to damage that had been reported across the monument (Such as multiple large stones falling from the structure, the stairs not being as safe as they could be etc) the structure eventually a fence was erected around the structure and construction began on the monument to ensure it was as safe as possible. It was definitely needed as by the late 1950’s the monument was cracked its southern, northern and western sides as well as the fact that some of the monument's walkway had become detached." "The structure had floodlights installed in the late 1980’s and because of this the landmark is sometimes illuminated at night during special occasions. This monument is a local landmark and is viewed as pretty much the symbol of the northeast due to its simplicity, grandeur and overall significance however others critiqued it due to the fact that it the buildings materials made it so it seems poorly constructed during more modern times. As well as this, critics during the 19th century claimed they felt that the monument is not a worthy depiction of the man it was built for." "Between 1994 and 1996 several of the floodlights that were used to illuminate the monument were stolen and the police claimed they thought that the lights would have been used for
- 6. 6. Created using Celtx growing cannabis. The monument also had to be refurbished further in 1994 as it was reported that the monument’s bottom of the columns around the structure were not even. The national trust was said to have spent over £100,000 on this restoration. In March of 2014 the council announced they would also be replacing the floodlights as they figured using energy efficient LED lights would save more money in the long run (Around £8000 a year.) However, a year later nine of these lights were stolen (worth around £20,000 in total)"
- 7. 7. Created using Celtx ACT IV - SUNDERLAND THEATRE ___________________________ " The Sunderland Theatre, once known as the ‘Empire Palace’ was established by a man named Richard Thornton in 1907. Although it was established by Thornton, It was opened by a woman called Matilda Alice Powles who went by the stage name ‘Vesta Tilley.’ (And it was she who laid the foundation stone for the building in September of 1906)." "The dome on top of the tower featured a revolving sphere that included a statue of Terpsichore who was said to be the Greek muse of dance and choral song however it was removed during the second world war for safety reasons as a bomb that had fallen close to the building had rocked the building. The statue still remains on the premises though and it now sits at the top of the main staircase that a replica of the dome that once was on top of the building. The original dome was refitted to the building with a floodlight system that illuminated the entrance of the building on a night." "Until the mid 1920’s, the empire seemed to have much success from the variety of performances it put on however due to the decline of touring theatre, a decision was made to have a projection box added in 1930 and from there it meant the theatre could host motion pictures. It also said that apparently Tommy Steele made his stage debut heading a variety show that took place in 1956, appearing at the Empire many times during his career. Due to the growth of the television and cinema industry, the Theatre closed in1959 however it then opened up again a year later after Sunderland Council bought the building. This was good for the city as the Beatles ended up performing there during their first national tour." "There was a want for the ability for Sunderland to host West End shows so in 2004 the theatre closed for nine months, and a £4.5 million redevelopment project begun to ensure this was possible. The theatre is now a house for large scale touring productions such as Matilda, War Horse, Wicked as well as others."