National Glass Centre

The National Glass Centre sits on the north bank of the River Wear, in a building designed by Gollifer Associates with a dramatic roofline of interlocking glass planes that you can walk across. Inside, the permanent collection traces the history of Sunderland's glass industry from Roman times to the present, with impressive examples of decorative and industrial glasswork. Entry to the main museum is free; the glass-blowing studio charges for demonstration sessions.

The rooftop walkway over the glass panels is a highlight even on overcast days, and gives good views down the Wear toward the wharves and the university campus. The centre also runs glass-making workshops where you can try your hand at a basic piece — these need advance booking and fill up quickly in summer. The café overlooks the river and is pleasant enough.

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A story
Sunderland was the centre of British glass-making from the seventeenth century, when French glassworkers brought their techniques across the Channel. By the mid-nineteenth century the Wearside glassworks produced the majority of England's window glass. The industry declined through the twentieth century; the National Glass Centre opened in 1998 partly as a reclamation of that heritage, and partly as a practical craft centre where working glass artists still produce new work.

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