Thorney Close

Like many areas in Sunderland which were transformed into post-war social housing in the 1950s, Thorney Close was a private manor estate for hundreds of years. Its name was derived from Thorney Close Manor which was constructed in the 16th century.[1]

Work began on the modern estate in 1947 and the first 77 houses were completed in 1948, ushering in the demolition of the historic Manor. By 1971 the population had risen to just under 14,000.[2] According to the 2001 Census, the population was 9,938, with 36.7% living in council houses.[3] In the 2011 Census the population was 11,125, as reported as part of the Sandhill ward.[4]

The estate has three shopping arcades, a community centre, one working men's club, a recently built residential home for the elderly, three Methodist churches, and two primary schools, and a secondary school which was rebuilt in 2003. The former secondary school site is host to the new school, community centre, the local branch library, which was moved from Grindon and a walk in health centre.

Most of the streets in Thorney Close begin with the letter "T". Such as, Telford Road, Twickenham Road, Thorney Close Road, Taunton Square & Tadcaster Road.

According to the Indices of Deprivation published by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in 2000, Thorney Close ranks worst of all twenty-five wards in Sunderland for Income, Employment (55th most deprived ward in England), and Child Poverty (147th most deprived ward in England). It is second most deprived ward in Sunderland overall, behind Southwick However locals do rank Pennywell, Hendon, Witherwack, Carley Hill, Redhouse etc. as areas of worse deprivation.

The estate was the feature location of a short-horror story "The Curse of Thorney Close" which embedded themes of poverty, crime and desperation into a tale of witchcraft in the area.[5][6]