170-175 High Street West in Sunderland is long overdue for some restoration works! Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust now owns the building, and is working hard to gather the funding needed to do up these amazing buildings. The aim is to restore them not to former but to future glory!
Amelia Turner, a student of the University of Sunderland and part of the North East Photography Network has been working on two short films, about 5 minutes each, to show the plans for the building, and the work currently undertaken. 170/5 High Street West is a case study for OpenHeritage; and TWBPT is working on it in collaboration with Newcastle University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape and PopRecs Ltd.
The team is also testing the buildings by temporarily opening them up to the public, organising events, inviting people in and connecting them into the local network of spaces for creative and socio-cultural use. During these events they try to increase their understandings of the different interests, memories, and ideas people have for these buildings, so they can be included in the future of the complex where possible.