Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland, England | |
Type | Museum |
---|---|
Website | www |
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in
History
It was established in 1846, in the Athenaeum Building on Fawcett Street, the first municipally funded museum in the country outside London. The first recorded fine art acquisition was commissioned by the Sunderland Corporation, a painting of the opening of the new South Dock in 1850. This may have been the first time that an artwork was commissioned by a town council.[2]
In 1879, the Museum moved to a new larger building next to
During World War II, Winter Garden was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941 and demolished the following year.[4] A 1960s extension took its place, but in 2001, a lottery funded refurbishment of the museum created a new Winter Garden extension[5] and improved facilities.
The Winter Gardens contain over 2,000 flowers and plants.[6]
In 2003, the Museum was recognised as the most attended outside London.
The Museum contains a large collection of the locally made
The library moved in 1995 to the new City Library and Arts Centre on Fawcett Street (occupying part of the former Binns Department Store).[11] The relocation left more space for museum exhibitions. The new City Library Arts Centre also houses the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, renowned as one of the leading forums for emerging artists in the North of England.
John Morrison wrote an affectionate memoir of the two and a half years he spent working in the museum as a junior curator, starting about 1918, which appeared in the Australian literary journal Overland in 1968.[12]
Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a Lowry collection surpassed only by
References
- ^ "Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens - Culture24".
- ^ "Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens - Art UK Art UK - Visit Collection Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens". Art UK.
- ^ "What's the Sunderland link between 72 birds, 12 fish and Ulysses S Grant? - Sunderland Echo". Archived from the original on 13 April 2018.
- ^ "MOWBRAY PARK, non Civil Parish - 1001320 | Historic England".
- ^ "Stop 1: Sunderland Museum - Sunderland's High Streets Heritage Walk | Historic England".
- ^ "Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens - Museum in Sunderland, Sunderland - NewcastleGateshead".
- ^ "Collections at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens - See it Do it Sunderland".
- ^ "Saving grace". 23 September 2014.
- ^ "A History of the North East in 100 objects". A History of the North East in 100 objects.
- ^ "Dinosaur bone found in Sunderland garden". BBC News. 13 December 2011.
- ^ "Centre birthday". 19 January 2005.
- ISBN 0-947087-08-7
- ^ "Lowry Paintings Saved for the Nation by Sunderland Museum | Culture24".
External links
Media related to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens at Wikimedia Commons 54°54′15″N 1°22′48″W / 54.90417°N 1.38000°W