Alistair Hardaker
Image: Sunderland Winter Gardens (CC by SA 3.0 Sterock85)
National Lottery Heritage Fund capital is part of planned £13.1m four-year redevelopment
Sunderland City Council has secured £5.2m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support an estimated £13.1m four-year redevelopment of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
The redevelopment plans, shaped by resident and visitor consultation, include relocating the main entrance into Mowbray Park, creating new exhibition galleries and displays, establishing touch-down and social spaces, and improving the Winter Gardens, external landscape and public realm.
A new community learning facility called ‘The Growing Space’ will complement the community garden adjacent to the Winter Gardens.
The museum will maintain services throughout the closure period by delivering activities at cultural and community venues across the city. Plans include pop-up ‘museum on the road’ sessions, oral history projects collecting people’s memories of Sunderland, work experience and apprenticeship placements, opportunities for young museum curators, and engagement with schools across the city.
Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: “For years the museum has played a vital role in bringing great culture to Sunderland.
“This new funding will help completely transform the museum’s ground floor and safeguard the building and museum collection for future generations.”
The museum last received major investment in 2001, also supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which enabled the addition of the Winter Gardens and new galleries and interactive displays.
