Visited with Rigsby.
We'd had a super long drive the day before but me and Rigsby were relentlessly looking for something to explore so we left the others sprawled out in front of the telly sleeping off the night before. Our first stop was Tunstall Court but we spotted a white van in the grounds so decided to do it on the way back instead. So anyway, here's some photos of Doxford Shipbuilders which had some insane ferns growing out of filing cabinets!
Here's some history:
The Company was established by William Doxford in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wear in Northeast England. The Company was managed by William Doxford's four sons following his death in 1882. It was renamed Doxford & Sunderland Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd in 1961 and Doxford & Sunderland Ltd in 1966. It was acquired by Court Line in 1973 at which time it was renamed Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd.
During the 1970's a new all-weather Pallion yard was built which could build two ships of up to 30,000 tons deadweight side-by-side: the steel came in at one end, and the completed ship left from the other with engines installed and sometimes with the machinery running.
Court Line collapsed in 1974 and the Company was taken into public ownership. It was privatised in 1986 when it was merged with Austin & Pickersgill to form North East Shipbuilders. However within two years of the merger the Doxford Pallion yard had been closed down.
We'd had a super long drive the day before but me and Rigsby were relentlessly looking for something to explore so we left the others sprawled out in front of the telly sleeping off the night before. Our first stop was Tunstall Court but we spotted a white van in the grounds so decided to do it on the way back instead. So anyway, here's some photos of Doxford Shipbuilders which had some insane ferns growing out of filing cabinets!
Here's some history:
The Company was established by William Doxford in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wear in Northeast England. The Company was managed by William Doxford's four sons following his death in 1882. It was renamed Doxford & Sunderland Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd in 1961 and Doxford & Sunderland Ltd in 1966. It was acquired by Court Line in 1973 at which time it was renamed Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd.
During the 1970's a new all-weather Pallion yard was built which could build two ships of up to 30,000 tons deadweight side-by-side: the steel came in at one end, and the completed ship left from the other with engines installed and sometimes with the machinery running.
Court Line collapsed in 1974 and the Company was taken into public ownership. It was privatised in 1986 when it was merged with Austin & Pickersgill to form North East Shipbuilders. However within two years of the merger the Doxford Pallion yard had been closed down.
