Shiney Row

Shiney Row is a village in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear. The village enjoys good travel links with not just the rest of Sunderland but also County Durham, South Shields & Newcastle. One of the City of Sunderland College's main centres was located in Shiney Row, however the college was retired in 2014 with plans to develop residential housing being pushed forward. In April 2015, this college was subject to a fire of unknown cause leading to the demolition of the college followed in early 2016 by the planned residential housing development. One of the most notable people who was born in Shiney Row was Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet, owner of the factory that produced the first Transatlantic telegraph cable.

Map of Shiney Row, Houghton le Spring, UK

The village has a few facilities, notably the library and customer service centre and two doctors' surgeries: Grangewood Surgery and Westbourne Surgery. There are three Public Houses in Shiney Row - The Shoulder of Mutton situated just off the village's main roundabout, The Wheatsheaf and the Travellers Rest located at nearby Mill Pit. There are also various other facilities including a community centre, two churches, a post office, a gym, various hairdressers, takeaway restaurants and a good selection of local convenient stores. In 2016 the main school, Shiney Row Primary School which feeds into Houghton Kepier was subject to major development where a new state of the art school was built and the old buildings demolished.The school is close to Our Lady Queen of Peace Primary school which feeds into the St Roberts RC School. Barnwell School is also near Shiney Row Primary School. Barnwell School feeds into Biddick Academy. Sitting between the village of Shiney Row and Fencehouses is Elba Park. Elba Park is a vital component of a significant new development that will see 359 new family houses built by David Wilson Homes North East. The Park is located on the site of the former Lambton Colliery. Operations at the Lambton Cokeworks ceased in the 1980s. Buildings were demolished at that time and the land was left derelict for many years, a poor reminder of past industrial activity.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has invested in reclaiming the heavily contaminated site, creating a 53-hectare country park featuring new footpaths and a stunning range of community artworks. In the five years since the park has been open to the community further infrastructure has been added to the site. There are four picnic tables, five additional benches, an additional 1,800 metres of foot paths and a 10 bay car park. A variety of events, activities and education sessions are held throughout the year and engage directly with thousands of people from the local area.