Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland's main museum, art gallery and glasshouse beside Mowbray Park, currently closed for a £13.6m redevelopment, with collections shown at pop-up events around the city in the meantime.
About Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens sits on Burdon Road at the edge of Mowbray Park and holds the city's collections of local history, art, natural history and Sunderland glass and pottery. With the National Glass Centre now permanently closed, it is the place to follow for the city's glass heritage. The Winter Gardens glasshouse at the rear is one of the city's best-known interiors.
The building closed at the end of August 2026 for a £13.6m transformation run by Sunderland Culture, with reopening reported for late 2028. Plans include a new entrance from Mowbray Park, new ground-floor galleries about Sunderland's heritage, social and community spaces and a learning facility. During the closure, objects from the collections appear at pop-up displays across the city through the Museum on Tour programme, and the neighbouring Mowbray Park Community Garden remains open with its own events. Check Sunderland Culture's website for redevelopment news and pop-up dates.
Featured in These Guides
Blog posts and guides that feature Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth and the Venerable Bede
The story of St Peter's, Monkwearmouth: Benedict Biscop's monastery of 674, the boyhood of Bede, the books made here, the layers of the building and how to visit today.
Sunderland Glass and Pottery: From Bede's Windows to Pyrex and Lustreware
How Sunderland became a glassmaking and pottery town: Hartley's plate glass, Jobling's Pyrex, lustreware bridge jugs, the National Glass Centre years and the Glassworks planned for 2028.
Sunderland Heritage Walking Trail: A Self-Guided Route
A self-guided walk of about 4.5km through Sunderland's history, from St Peter's in Monkwearmouth over Wearmouth Bridge to Keel Square, Holy Trinity, Sunniside and Mowbray Park.
Museums in Sunderland: What Is Open in 2026
Where to find Sunderland's history while the Museum and Winter Gardens is closed until 2028 and the National Glass Centre has shut: football, steam, aircraft, castles and local archives.
Sunderland in the Second World War: Shipyards, Raids and Memory
How Sunderland's shipyards fed the war effort, why the town was bombed from 1940 to 1943, which buildings were lost, and where the war is remembered in the city today.
Things to Do in Sunderland: The Complete Guide
From Roker Pier and the Seaburn sands to the Empire, Culture House, Penshaw Monument and St Peter's Church, a practical guide to things to do in Sunderland.
More Community in Sunderland
Sunderland Empire
Sunderland's large-scale theatre on High Street West, opened in 1907 and now run by Ambassador Theatre Group, staging touring musicals, plays, comedy and the annual pantomime.
The Fire Station
Live music and performance venue in Sunderland's former Central Fire Station, with a purpose-built auditorium for around 550 seated or 800 standing, plus a bar and restaurant in the old engine house.
Culture House
Sunderland's new multi-purpose cultural building on Keel Square, opened in September 2026, home to the City Library, exhibition space and bookable rooms.
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What's On
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