In a message dated 27/08/2007 08:30:17 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: As the mission chapel was on High Street West, how did it come to be known as Sans Street Mission? This must have been confusing when, for some years, there was another mission chapel on Sans Street itself. ___________________________________________________________ Hi Alan, There is some error in the various publications about the "Sans Street Mission". In Tom Corfe's 'History of Sunderland' he states "The first Wesleyan Chapel, opened in Numbers Garth in 1759, was moved to Sans Street in 1793" In Glen L. Dodds "A History of Sunderland" he states "In 1759 he opened Sunderland's first Methodist Chapel in Numbers Garth, off High Street. This in turn was replaced by an elegant chapel built in Sans Street in 1793..." Both these entries are incorrect. White's 1827 Directory has "The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at the foot of Sans Street was built in 1791, enlarged in 1809 and 1824, ... accommodates 2,500..." The Baptist Chapel was at 41 Sans Street, on the west side. In the 1890 directory it was the Gospel Mission Hall, and the Wesleyan Chapel was on the south side of High Street West next to number 162 which was at the corner of Sans Street. In "Images of Wearside" there is a full page 1937 photo entitled (wrongly) "The Wesleyan Chapel in Sans Street, Sunderland known as Sans Street Mission. Built in 1793 and enlarged in 1807, it could accommodate about 2,000 people". However from the photographs in "Sunderland East End Revisited" and "A Century of Sunderland Cinemas" the chapel is obviously on High Street West. One photograph is taken from the north side of the street looking South East and you can clearly see the three tower blocks in the background. There is no doubt that the Chapel was on High Street West, but I don't know why it was called the "Sans Street Mission" Stan