1,000 signatures reached
To: Sunderland City Council
Save William Doxford & Sons Entrance
Sign the petition for this to be taken to Sunderland City Council to save some of our local herritage.
Why is this important?
Doxford's Pallion or West Gatehouse
The building we are hoping to save was the original main entrance to Doxford's Shipyard and Engine Works and is located on the former western boundary of the Pallion Shipyard.
William Doxford, a timber merchant, started the shipbuilding firm in 1840 at Cox Green, moving to Pallion Shipyard in 1857. Soon after this date, marine engineering evolved as a new discipline in response to the transition from sail to steam and the associated move from timber to iron hulls.
Doxford's was one of the first companies to respond to the new demand and developed an engine works in the West Yard in 1869.
Doxford's Gate was later built as the main entrance to the works; this part of the site being occupied by the company for 119 years, throughout its most prosperous period.
Between 1905-1907, Doxford's had the highest production of any shipyard in the world. The Gate was constructed at around this time, probably c.1903, during a phase of pre-war expansion.
The Gate is regarded to be of considerable heritage significance, in terms of its communal, historic and aesthetic value. The Gate is one of the few surviving physical reminders of the 'story' of the Doxford company and reflects the wider history of shipbuilding across the region.
The Gate would have been the first building visitors would see when entering the engine works - when built the most advanced and prestigious building of Doxford's yard. As such, it was the main 'public face' and image of the company.
However, it also served an important practical function, housing the time clock where workers would clock in and out each day and included the Commercial Office (within the North Pavilion) where new clients and contacts were met and entertained.
We believe the building should be saved by way of careful demolition and reconstruction somewhere near Keel Square in the developing cultural and heritage quarter of the city. It would make an ideal Shipbuilding Heritage Centre to inform future generations, and preserve the memory, about the long and proud shipbuilding history of Sunderland.
The building we are hoping to save was the original main entrance to Doxford's Shipyard and Engine Works and is located on the former western boundary of the Pallion Shipyard.
William Doxford, a timber merchant, started the shipbuilding firm in 1840 at Cox Green, moving to Pallion Shipyard in 1857. Soon after this date, marine engineering evolved as a new discipline in response to the transition from sail to steam and the associated move from timber to iron hulls.
Doxford's was one of the first companies to respond to the new demand and developed an engine works in the West Yard in 1869.
Doxford's Gate was later built as the main entrance to the works; this part of the site being occupied by the company for 119 years, throughout its most prosperous period.
Between 1905-1907, Doxford's had the highest production of any shipyard in the world. The Gate was constructed at around this time, probably c.1903, during a phase of pre-war expansion.
The Gate is regarded to be of considerable heritage significance, in terms of its communal, historic and aesthetic value. The Gate is one of the few surviving physical reminders of the 'story' of the Doxford company and reflects the wider history of shipbuilding across the region.
The Gate would have been the first building visitors would see when entering the engine works - when built the most advanced and prestigious building of Doxford's yard. As such, it was the main 'public face' and image of the company.
However, it also served an important practical function, housing the time clock where workers would clock in and out each day and included the Commercial Office (within the North Pavilion) where new clients and contacts were met and entertained.
We believe the building should be saved by way of careful demolition and reconstruction somewhere near Keel Square in the developing cultural and heritage quarter of the city. It would make an ideal Shipbuilding Heritage Centre to inform future generations, and preserve the memory, about the long and proud shipbuilding history of Sunderland.
How it will be delivered
ASAP
