The district described in this memoir comprises Wearside and parts of south Tyneside, and is dominated by the built-up area which extends from Sunderland north-westwards to Wallsend. The predominantly urban landscape is offset by an attractive coastline along which fine exposures of the Permian Magnesian Limestone are seen in spectacular cliffs, stacks and natural arches. The up-to-date geological data on the built-up areas provided in this memoir will be useful for planners and civil engineers involved in urban renewal, who are faced by problems of ground instability caused by old coal workings and the complex distribution of drift deposits.