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Plan Your Visit to Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art
It is free to visit the gallery.
Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art sits inside National Glass Centre on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland.
Our main gallery is on the ground floor. The entrance is on the side of the building – simply follow the signs down to the riverside.
Our collections space is on the first floor next to the reception area. You can get to this space by going through the Glass Centre’s main entrance.
Address
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art
C/O National Glass Centre
Liberty Way
Sunderland
SR6 0GL
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Main Entrance: jobs.parent.legal
Opening Times
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art is open daily 10am – 5pm
Contact Us
0191 515 5555
Email: info@nationalglasscentre.com
Getting here
From Sunderland City Centre, you can use the E1 that takes you to Roker Avenue, around 500m from National Glass Centre.
The 700 and 701 Sunderland Connect buses also stop close to the venue on St. Peter’s Way and Liberty Way (both are around 100m from the venue)
Our closest train station is Sunderland, featuring regional train routes from Middlesbrough and Hexham.
Our closest Nexus Metro station is Stadium of Light. This stop is around 1.2km from the National Glass Centre.
A1: Take the exit onto A1231 towards Washington/Sunderland and continue onto Wessington Way
Follow the brown signs to National Glass Centre, Liberty Way.
A19: Take the A1231 slip road (to Sunderland/Sunderland North)
Follow A1231 onto Wessington Way and then follow the brown signs to National Glass Centre Liberty Way
Parking
National Glass Centre has a car park directly outside of the entrance and there is an overflow car park to the right of the venue which is open during busier times.
Blue Badge holders can park for free providing they display a valid permit.
Visitors are required to pay for parking in both car parks. Parking costs are as follows:
Under 20 minutes: Free
Per hour: £0.60
Per day: £3.00
- How to pay:
Just Park app (available for Android and Apple mobile devices) - Just Park website
- Call 01234 862 178
- Cashless parking terminal – located in the main car park, visitors can pay here by card.
National Glass Centre is part of the Coast-to-Coast cycle route from Cumbria to Sunderland.
We have bike racks at the top of our car park and on the other side of the venue along the riverside.
There is also a cycle hub to the side of the Centre on the riverside.
To plan your route to National Glass Centre by bike, you can use either Google Maps or resources on Go Smarter Go Active.
Exhibitions
With exhibitions changing throughout the year, find out what will be on display for your visit.
Food & Drink
Open for breakfast and lunch, The Glass Yard is the perfect place to get together with family, friends and loved ones.
The Glass Yard is currently located on the upper floor of National Glass Centre, through the main gallery.
Café Opening Times
Open daily from 10am – 4.30pm
Breakfast is served from 10am – 11:45am
Lunch is served from 12pm – 3:45pm
Menus
Access
Pre-visit walk through and access information
About Us
For over 50 years, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art has been bringing art from around the world to Sunderland.