Brewery site rebirth has been worth waiting for

To those in Sunderland, the Vaux Brewery remains iconic.

- DAVID HUNTLEY explores

It was a major employer in the city for almost 200 years and was well-known for Samson Bitter, Scorpion Lager and, of course, Double Maxim. The brewer was beloved by Mackems and the malty scent as you passed by the brewery is still a fond memory for many.

But, by the late 1990s, Vaux was no more and, by the mid 2000s, the brewery was demolished. Hundreds of jobs were lost.

What followed was years of disappointment as the old Vaux site lay derelict, overgrown and unloved. It became an eyesore for those in the city and it seemed like the site would never be redeveloped after contractors Carillion and then Tolent both went into liquidation.

But, after years of frustration, the Vaux site has now finally been resurrected, and is slowly turning into something that those in the city can be proud of. Now part of the vast Riverside Sunderland development, the Vaux site has been revitalised.