The college (built in 1901) was established as a municipal training college and was the first college to offer sandwich courses, mixing time at college with periods gaining work experience with an employer.
Being a port, Sunderland was interested in teaching relevant subjects and from the start ran navigation courses.
The square tower at the side of the building had an observatory at the top for use in the navigational studies.
The clock is mounted at right angles to the building near the top of the observatory. It is housed in a metal case with clock faces on each side. Each one has a white face with brown Arabic numerals in a circle round the edge to mark the hours. A floral pattern is inscribed in the centre part of the face. The clock no longer works and the case is rather rusty and some parts of the clock face have been damaged.
Over time Sunderland’s educational facilities have expanded and now have attained University status. This college building is no longer used as an educational building and part of it is used as a nightclub.
Photographed on 23/01/24 – Original image and post by dtreblic, posted here with kind permission.
Location: View on Map