Most residents of Sunderland and the surrounding area have visited Sunderland Crematorium at some point . The crematorium is situated in the grounds of Bishopwearmouth Cemetery. Work was started on the crematorium in 1937 but due to the outbreak of the Second World War, work was suspended. It was eventually completed in 1951 and is still the sole crematorium serving the City of Sunderland
Unusually for a city the size of Sunderland, it only has one chapel. Most modern crematoriums have at least two chapels. This means that services are staggered between the chapels to help separate mourners and allow breathing space in between services. In Sunderland, this isn’t possible, causing people to refer to a “conveyor belt” of services.
Of late, Sunderland Council have budgeted for a new crematorium. Initially a site was being considered in Gilley Law but this was ruled out. At the time of writing, there is no further news as to whether other sites are being considered.
The crematorium was initially constructed due to the increase in the popularity of cremations in the 20s and 30s. The question is where were cremations undertaken for Sunderland residents before the crematorium was built?
