St Peter's Church was rebuilt in the 19C but still has its 7C tower and porch. It stands high above the River Wear, which was once a shipbuilding centre. St Andrew's Church, in the suburb of Roker, is an extraordinary achievement of modern church architecture. Its austere interior is of Gothic inspiration and houses superb modern fittings and furnishings.

Despite its 14C exterior, the interior dates mainly back to the 18-19C. The dwelling contains a fine collection of paintings and furniture, as well as some fine specimens of Meissen porcelain. The gracious statue of a Greek slave is by Hiram Powers, a US sculptor who caused a scandal when he presented it at the Great Exhibition in 1851. In the fine walled garden, there are some old yew trees and a 200-year-old fig tree.

This enthralling open-air museum illustrates life in the North of England in the early 19C. Its magnificent sets also emphasise the effects of the industrial revolution on everyday life in the region.

A staircase of 199 steps leads from the town to this romanesque church that shares the clifftop with the abbey. Several changes made under the Stuarts and during the Georgian period have created a charming mixture of white galleries, stalls and columns that are as colourful as a stick of barley sugar. But the most interesting part is the three-bridged pulpit. The cemetery has a monument devoted to the poet Caedmon.