Roker Stones

This group of stones was recorded in 2018 by Wardell Armstrong for the ‘Sunderland’s Forgotten Stones’ project (event 4887 report 2018/143 and background in event 4800 report 2018/85), and again in 2023 by the Vedra Hylton Community Group (event 5565 report 2024/30).
The large blocks of worked stone, some of which have cuts and recesses that may be related to lifting and joining the blocks, were hypothesised to have originated from a Roman bridge or weir spanning the River Wear at South Hylton, and to have been transferred to this site following dredging in the 19th century.
During the 2018 project, the stones were recorded by laser scanning, and identified as likely to be from dismantled dockyards and quaysides that were once common along the banks of the River Wear.
During the 2023 project, the stones were recorded by field survey, and identified as Roman masonry based on the presence of dovetail cramp slots.