Victoria Hall Memorial

The Victoria Hall disaster occurred on 16 June 1883 at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland. Due to the death by compressive asphyxia of 183 children, aged between 3 and 14 years old, the disaster is classed as the worst of its kind in British history.The disaster fund raised £5000, which paid for the funerals of all 183 children. During the funerals, which lasted from the following Tuesday until Friday, all businesses in Sunderland remained closed as a mark of respect. The money that was left over was put towards the cost of a memorial statue of a grieving mother carrying a dead child. The memorial was erected in 1883 under a canopy in Mowbray Park, opposite the scene of the disaster.

Lovely statue of a grieving mother holding her dead child.What a shame it is under glass and full of reflections so as not to get a good a view of it as one would like. (The reason for my 4 stars). Erected originally in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery but vandalism took it's toll. This renovated sculpture now trapped within glass like a caged animal (apt). For local the tragedy of the deaths of 183 children through trampling rush aged between 3 to 14 during Sunderland's Victoriana era 1880's during a matinée variety performance by " The Fays. A show of illusions and conjuring tricks. At the end of the show all the children were offered toys with those in the stalls receiving them 1st. The remaining 1100 children charged out of their seats and down the stairs into a space with locked inward opening doors. Resulting in many deaths. .The money funded from the tragedy paid for all of their funerals and the building of this monument.Deemed one of the UK's worst tragedies. The national outrage ensured new legislation for outward opening doors fitted to public buildings