Tag Archives: Historic England

First World War Acoustic Mirror Saved

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Fulwell Acoustic Mirror is a 4m high concave concrete dish, constructed on the coast at Fulwell, Sunderland. Completed in 1917, it was designed to act as an acoustic early warning system against air raids, after a bomb dropped by a Zeppelin over the Wheatsheaf area of Sunderland in April 1916 left 22 people dead and more than 100 injured.

After many years of neglect the acoustic mirror’s crumbling condition led to the structure being included on the Historic England (previously known as English Heritage) Heritage at Risk register. This triggered a partnership between Sunderland City Council, Historic England and the Heritage Lottery Fund programme – Limestone Landscapes, which has resulted in a glorious restoration, unveiled on 9 June 2015.

See here for the full story.

Material culture of the Great War: The Tyneside Pioneers

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Historic England: First World War Northumbrian practice trenches, as revealed by aerial reconnaissance.

The carnage and misery of trench warfare is for many the abiding image of the First World War. Practice trenches, built by soldiers in training, are among the more emphatic monuments to that conflict to remain visible in the English landscape. A complex of such sites in Northumberland throws light on the achievements of one such group of soldiers, known as the 1st Tyneside Pioneers.

Further information here.