Work forges ahead on old Sunderland seafront shelter - here's what you need to know

Work is forging ahead at a new beachfront bar which will revitalise an old seafront shelter.

The team at Vaux Brewery, in Roker, had their plans approved for the Victorian shelter in Marine Walk, Roker, in 2022.

And now work has started on transforming the site, utilising the original structure, with a view to opening in time for summer 2024.

The Echo can reveal that the new bar, which will have its own identity separate to that of Vaux, will be called Elephant Rock in honour of a landmark formation which once stood nearby.

The Holey Rock cliff face between Roker and Seaburn was also known as Elephant Rock as its formation resembled that of an elephant, with a visible trunk-like shape.

Holey Rock, so called because of the caves that ran through it, became unsafe due to rock falls and in 1936 / 1937 it was demolished.

Now, its colloquial name of Elephant Rock will live on in the new bar, which is set to be a further boost to the regeneration of the seafront.

Business partners Michael Thompson and Steve Smith bought the Vaux name in 2019 to bring a host of new beers to the market from their brewery at Roker Retail Park, as well as the associated taproom, which opened in summer 2021.

Their plans to transform the corner plot on Marine Walk, which has been underused for decades, were approved by the council's planning department as part of the wider scheme to breathe new life into Roker and Seaburn and boost its offering for Sunderland residents, as well as attracting more visitors from outside of the city.

Steve said: “We’ve walked past this shelter for years and always thought it would make a great venue. When the council put it out to tender we thought it was an amazing opportunity to do something with it.

"Work is now underway. The first job is to make the site weather proof and we have the first of the windows going in."

It's hoped the bar will be completed and will open as Elephant Rock in time for the busy summer season.

As well as Vaux beers, it will sell brews from around the world, as well as food for sit-in and takeaway. Indoors, it will seat around 100 people, with seating also available at the front to make the most of the views.

Michael said: "It will very much have a daytime as well as an evening offering. The seafront is home to a great stretch of independents and this will complement that offering for people."

As well as the old shelter, the new development incorporates a neighbouring storage shelter and the resorts office, which will be relocated, making one large site with its own kitchen, toilets and bar.

Elephant Rock is one in a number of new developments for the business partners in 2024, who already supply beer to bars across the region.

They have also had plans approved at the Grade II-listed former Bridge Hotel Vaults in High Street West, which they will be converting back into a pub.

The extra bars means they will be relocating their brewery premises to nearby Charles Street, adjacent to St Peter's Gate, in Roker, to a larger unit where they can brew four times more beer to cater for their own bars as well as the many others in the region they supply.

The taproom, however, which has built up a loyal following, especially on match days, will remain at the existing site in Monk Street, Roker Retail Park.

Michael said: "Having our own venues has always been part of our business strategy. It means we can guarantee the beer quality, while also being able to sell our full range of beers."

Elephant Rock is one in a number of old sites which have been given new life as part of the Seafront Regeneration Scheme, which has also seen the transformation of the Tram Shelter in Seaburn, the old toilet block in Pier View which has become Tin of Sardines and the former storage shelter at the far end of Seaburn promenade which has become North.