Washington is a suburb in Sunderland, England. Washington is located 10 miles (16 km) west of Sunderland City Centre itself, and roughly the same distance south of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the 2001 census, the town had a population of 55,454.
Washington was designated a new town in 1964 and expanded dramatically by the creation of new villages and the absorption of areas of Chester-le-Street to house overspill population from surrounding cities.The main shopping centre is 'The Galleries', an indoor complex housing local shops and services, and the ASDA and Sainsbury (previously known as SavaCentre) supermarkets. It was officially opened in 1974 by Princess Anne. A large area of parkland extends south from 'The Galleries' and is known as Princess Anne Park.