THE largest study of Sunderland's history is being researched in a £440,000 project by historians at the city's university.

The research is being undertaken as part of the Victoria County History of England (VCH) series, which was established in 1899.

The team, led by Durham VCH editor Gill Cookson, a history academic at Sunderland, will look at 1,000 years of the city.

Investigations will cover the ancient parishes of Monkwearmouth and Bishopwearmouth, as well as the more recent parish of Sunderland, created in 1719.

The team will trace Bede's legacy and early ecclesiastical history from the north bank of the Wear, as well as the diverse industries on the south side of the river, through to when the first bridge united the two sides in the late 18th Century.

The project, which will be completed in 2007, has been funded by £440,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as a donation by Sir Tom Cowie.

To help promote the research, the team was joined by Sunderland-born journalist Kate Adie, who used the archives in Sunderland for her book, Corsets to Camouflage: Women at War.

Dr Cookson said: "There have been some excellent local histories of Sunderland, but the VCH is different in that it aims to be comprehensive."

"We expect the final volume to contain more than 250,000 words."

As well as the main volume there will be a paperback published in 2005 called The Origins of Sunderland, which will cover the development of the town up to 1719.