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Five miles west of Sunderland, the River Wear keeps to the south of the New Town of WASHINGTON , focus of much of the area's contemporary investment and manufacture. Split into planned, numbered districts, and organized on American lines, it's not an obvious stop, although the original Old Village has been zealously preserved as a conservation area. Just off the village green, past the leafy churchyard on The Avenue, stands the ancestral home of the family which spawned the first US president . The "de Wessyngtons" - later the Washingtons - originally came over with William the Conqueror, and by 1183 were based at the Old Hall (April-Oct Mon-Wed & Sun 11am-5pm; GBP2.80; NT), where they lived until 1613. Carefully preserved as a Jacobean showpiece, the echoing, stone-flagged house has a fine kitchen, Great Hall and garden, and some exemplary wood panelling, and although none of the furniture is original to the Washington family, it is contemporaneous. Every Fourth of July, the raising of the US flag heralds a day of independence celebrations; entry to the Old Hall is free that day. The other main attraction in the area is the Washington Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre (daily: April-Oct 9.30am-5pm; Nov-March 9.30am-4pm; GBP4.90), east of town and north of the River Wear in District 15, its hundred acres designed by Sir Peter Scott and home to swans, geese, ducks, herons and flamingos. Its trails, hides, play areas, visitor information centre and children's activities make for an enjoyable day out. For Washington Village and the Old Hall, the best service is on the #185 bus from Sunderland's Park Lane Bus Station (not Sun). The Wildfowl Centre is reached on the #56A from Newcastle's Market Street (not Sun) or the #X4 from Newcastle's Eldon Square or Sunderland's Park Lane (not Sun). If disaster strikes, all these buses (and many others from Newcastle or Sunderland) call or terminate at Washington Galleries Bus Station , from where you'll be able to reach either site. Most buses prefixed with a "W" run to Washington Village from the Galleries.
Your Tip for Washington
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