Sunniside Gardens, Sunderland

What survived at Sunniside Gardens up until work started on site last February, was the piecemeal remains of a narrow, early 19th century rectangle of grass, trees and some shrubs mostly surrounded by modest two storey Georgian brick buildings. The square remains pleasingly dominated by the stone-faced old Post Office at the top end. [The site falls both north to south and east to west]. Over time the gardens had been allowed to be sliced through by foot and road traffic, with each section of garden fenced. So the gardens were there to be looked at, passed through, parked in and sat in when the gates were left open.

Although it was clear from the outset that straightforward restoration would not achieve one of the most pressing requirements of the brief - to assist in the economic revitalisation of the area, it could not be ignored that the garden remains an inherent part of the historical square. Through detailed analysis of the site, including traffic and pedestrian studies, Georgian sensibilities of proportion, repetition, scale and delight have been woven in to anchor a contemporary and bold design solution.

The entire square has been pulled out from each grassed edge tying it back to its architecture, realigning it with buildings. Pavements are widened - to accommodate café seating and milling space, or they wobble - in parallel with serpentine walls, roads are narrowed, parking eliminated and the fencing has all gone; easy pedestrian routes delineated in granite, stretch across the square, these paths reduced to sawn sets where they slice through the pavement; old trees obscuring newly renovated buildings and facades have been taken out, new framing trees will be going in; the square regains its grain.

There are six newly defined areas in the scheme. Identified and made accessible by marketable names, the concepts for these areas are derived from the site’s historic legacy. All large urban design schemes should comprise a ‘Grand Gesture’. In Sunniside it is against the backdrop of the post office façade. Low sitting walls with integral lighting define the edges of paths that dissect grass plats raised and at grade. Adjacent to the old post office there is a small paved performance space. The central part of the site, the ‘Big Space’ is defined north and south by curved walls which allows for traffic movement [the aim is to exclude traffic from crossing this space], but it is principally designed to accommodate large outdoor events such as a market, an ice rink in winter, or for music. Closed to traffic, it is intended that an art work should be located here as a focal point for the adjoining street. In addition to ground lighting there will be lighting to illuminate the ramped slopes and walls. Contained by a serpentine bench as an echo of the former shrubbery, ‘The Green’ provides a grassed area and a massive curving bench step seat, defining an arena for the ‘Key Gateway’. Adjacent to a restaurant, with a south west aspect and the focus for the main street from the city centre, it is anticipated that these steps will be in regular use. High tech lighting and a patch of dancing jets will provide additional entertainment. The southernmost part of the site is ‘The Shrubbery’, a response to the original name for the gardens with a continuation of the serpentine bench wall and various plantings, this area draws attention to the medieval arch.
A new vitality in the vicinity is already palpable: an adjacent building is to be converted into an arts centre, the snooker hall has been given a new hat, and business in the local estate agents in Sunniside gardens is perking up.