Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens closes to visitors on Saturday 29 August, as preparations begin for the exciting £13.6m transformation of one of the city’s best-loved cultural attractions.
Throughout the redevelopment, a vibrant programme of events, exhibitions, learning opportunities and community activities will keep the museum at the heart of city life until its planned completion and reopening in late 2028.
While the building itself will be closed, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens will take its handling collection, stories and expertise directly into communities through an ambitious programme of activities across the city. These will include family, young people and adult activities at Culture House Sunderland which opens 12 September, taking loan boxes into schools as well as delivering pop-up museum events, workshops, and talks in community and partner venues.
A team of Museum Redevelopment Champions is being recruited from the community to give opportunities for people to help shape ideas and research new content.
Residents can look forward to a wide-ranging programme of activities across the city, including the Women in Work: Pyrex project exploring Sunderland’s industrial heritage through a co-created digital exhibition and podcast series; a Then and Now Photography Project capturing the changing face of Sunderland through the eyes of local people; and a new Sunderland Stories on Tour programme bringing collections, creative workshops and object-handling sessions into community venues across Sunderland.
Young people will be invited to work with artists to co-create public artworks inspired by the collections through an Urban Art Project and select themed objects and stories for community outreach boxes in the Museum Makers Programme.
Schools will continue to access museum learning through classroom workshops, assemblies, downloadable resources and free Museum in a Box loans, ensuring Sunderland’s collections continue to inspire children and young people throughout the redevelopment period.
Visitors will even be able to go behind the scenes, with special hard hat tours offering a rare opportunity to see the redevelopment in progress, and learn about the specialist skills involved in conserving and transforming a historic museum building.
Before work gets underway, residents and visitors are being invited to make one last visit to the museum, explore their favourite exhibits and enjoy a stroll through the popular Winter Gardens before the venue closes its doors to the public on Saturday 29 August.
Councillor Ciera Hudspith, Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Heritage at Sunderland City Council, said:
“This once-in-a-generation transformation is about creating a museum that is fit for the future, while protecting its heritage and collections for generations to come.
“While we know people will be sad to see the museum temporarily close, this marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for one of our best-loved attractions.
“The plans have been shaped by local people from the very beginning, and we can’t wait to welcome visitors back to an even better museum when the transformation is complete.
“We’re also really excited to take museum activities out into communities across our city while the redevelopment work is underway.
“This is not simply a closure programme; it’s a chance to experience the museum slightly differently. Over the next few years, we’ll be taking the museum into schools, community centres, libraries, festivals and neighbourhood venues right across Sunderland.
“People will be able to help curate exhibitions, record memories, work with artists, explore objects from the collections, contribute stories and play a direct role in continuing to shape the museum’s future.”
The four-year redevelopment will transform the museum’s ground floor, creating new galleries that showcase Sunderland’s stories, people and rich heritage.
Plans also include a new entrance connecting the museum to Mowbray Park and a new community learning facility, The Growing Space, alongside improvements to the museum collections, interpretation, and visitor experience.
The closure period will also enable essential repairs and upgrades to the historic building, helping to secure its future for generations to come.
The £13.6m project has been made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside funding from Arts Council England, The Wolfson Foundation, Friends of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and other partners.
Throughout the closure, museum collections as well as the Winter Gardens Plants and Tropical Fish will continue to be professionally cared for through ongoing conservation, monitoring and collections management, with items relocated and stored where necessary.
More detailed arrangements regarding the Café will be announced by Sea Change shortly as well as their plans for WEAR site in vine place.
Regular updates on the redevelopment, community activities and opportunities to get involved will be shared throughout the project.
Museum Redevelopment: Frequently Asked Questions
New visuals released for Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens redevelopment
