Introducing the granite comic strip!

The laying of the flags for the 1st phase of the new Sunderland city square is almost finished, Bryan designed the "Keel Line" running its length, a list of the ships built on the River Wear accompanied by illustrations telling the history of Sunderland.

 

Mary Talbot inspects the Keel Line. For the benefit of football fans, that's the Stadium of Light in the far background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every 15 flags, the rope border motif crosses alternatively left and right, creating the illustration areas. Here's an illustration of Washington Old Hall and George Washington's family crest, the origin of the stars and stripes, facing one of keelmen hauling coal up the Wear.

 

 

 

 

In the right background the series of hoardings is visible, showing the ship names and illustrations, with annotations.

 

 

 

 

The first Wear iron bridge and Sunderland hero Jack Crawford nailing Admiral Duncan's colours to the mast during the Battle of Camperdown, 1797. If you've read "Alice in Sunderland", you'll already be familiar with many of the subjects of the illustrations.

 

 

View of the square and Keel line looking north.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the hoardings describing and explaining the Keel Line.