In this episode, we dive into Washington's fascinating roads, roundabouts, and its controversial district numbering system. We also explore the community stories and creativity behind Town of Roundabouts, written and performed by Paige Temperley.

The Town of Roundabouts

Paige Temperley

Photographs I took

So many shades of colour

Stapled in a book 

Suppose I never looked around

The corners of this town

Until I wrote it down 

Amenities and folk

Shops and village pubs

Don’t fix what isn’t broken

They were right there on the door

And now we long for more

Reminiscent of before

60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

But it feels like it’s always been around

Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

In the town of roundabouts 

Districts they stood tall         

Set apart by numbers

Wasn’t long before they’d fall

People just wanted a name

A village they could claim

A place to call home

60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

But it feels like it’s always been around

Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

In the town of roundabouts

Fields of grass

Pictures taken on a Kodac 

Memories to last 

Rumoured Crocodiles

Beautiful wildlife 

Time it goes so fast 

60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

But it feels like it’s always been around

Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

In the town of roundabouts

In the town of roundabouts

In the town of roundabouts

Guests:

Washington Community Podcasting Group, Brenda Naisby, Tony Erskine (Artist for Washington Development Corporation), Ian Murray, Roseanna Erskine, Sarah Murray, Doug Walker, Bob Hope, Kim Hunter, Gloria Finnigan, Thomas Finnigan, Olive Metcalfe, Ellaine Davidson.

Music and Production

• Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
• Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
• Excutive producers: Caroline Mitchell and Jude Murphy

This episode was developed in collaboration with:

• Washington Heritage Partnership
• Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
• Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
• Baseline Shift
• We Make Culture

Supported by:

• The University of Sunderland
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.