Christmas Opening Times: Plan your visit

From Saturday 6 December, Sunderland City Library will be closed to the public to prepare for the move to Culture House. Find out more

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Explore centuries of history and the wonders of the natural world

Relaxed Openings at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Free
A view inside the Winter Gardens at Sunderland Museum. There are lots of plants that climb to a giant glass roof. There are several people on a platform looking over the foliage.ke in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Special Events

Relaxed Openings at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

20 Dec 2025

Ages 16-35

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Going Back Brockens: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners' Strike
Free
A painting of a large monument silhouette in shadow. The monument is surrounded by bushes and foliage. The sky is a deep blue sky with a hazy sun.

Exhibitions

Going Back Brockens: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners' Strike

15 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2026
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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

See & Do

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Going Back Brockens: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners' Strike
Free
A painting of a large monument silhouette in shadow. The monument is surrounded by bushes and foliage. The sky is a deep blue sky with a hazy sun.

Exhibitions

Going Back Brockens: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners' Strike

15 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2026
More

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Sleepy Trail
An illustration of a woman with flowing hair sleep on a moon. The sky is deep blue with white twinkling stars.

Children and Young People's Activities

Sleepy Trail

15 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2026

Ages 3+

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Creative Age
Free
An old lady in a flowery top sits at a table. She is engaging with arts and crafts

Adult Workshops and Activities

Creative Age

17 Dec 2025 – 18 Feb 2026

Ages 50+

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Mowbray Movers
A community garden with a curved fence. The garden has a tree in the centre. There is a large green toy frog next to the tree. There is a square sign on the fencing with a colourful cartoon printed onto it.

Adult Workshops and Activities

Mowbray Movers

17 Dec 2025 – 25 Feb 2026

Ages 50+

More

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Relaxed Openings at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Free
A view inside the Winter Gardens at Sunderland Museum. There are lots of plants that climb to a giant glass roof. There are several people on a platform looking over the foliage.ke in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Special Events

Relaxed Openings at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

20 Dec 2025

Ages 16-35

More

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Tuesday Museum Club
An adult female with long dark brown hair is kneeling on the floor. She is wearing a red cardigan and black dress. Her right hand is outstretched. Her palm open and is holding sweets. A number of small children face her. They are engaged in what's she's saying.

Children and Young People's Activities

Tuesday Museum Club

06 Jan – 03 Feb 2026

Ages 5 – 11

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Object of the Month

In partnership with Sunderland Heritage

Find out more
A close-up of several dark wooden drawers from an old apothecary chest. The drawers hold various pharmacy papers, labels, and small jars. Labels visible include

Harmful or Helpful: Victorian Medicines

Collections Assistant Rebecca Stonehouse examines vials, tins and apothecary draws to reveal the characteristics, uses and dangers of Victorian and Edwardian-era medicines.

Hit the link below to read the full article on Sunderland Heritage Partnership website.

Find out more
Find out more
A person wearing gloves and a white shirt carefully handles a preserved bird specimen from a green storage crate lined with tissue paper. The scene appears to take place in a museum or archive setting, suggesting the handling of natural history collections.

About Object of the Month

The Object of the Month series is produced in partnership with Sunderland Heritage, part of the collections project made possible by the Museum Renewal Fund grant awarded through Arts Council England.

Find out more
A sunny garden with bright green grass and flower beds. In the centre sits a large topiary sculpture shaped like a frog with a pink flower garland around its neck. A person in a white shirt tends to plants in the background. Colourful ribbons and decorations hang from tree branches overhead. Traditional brick buildings with white window frames can be seen behind the garden. Wooden garden structures and planters are scattered throughout the space, creating a cheerful community garden atmosphere.

Mowbray Park Community Garden

Your garden in the heart of the city.

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Learn & Create

Schools & Education
Two children dressed in green and white school uniform drawing a taxidermy grey squirrel in a clear box.

Schools & Education

Explore a rich collection of history and nature with educational workshops for all ages and subjects or bring the museum to your school with our loan service.

Schools & Education
Adults
Three individuals holding Pyrex bowls. The person on the left holds a black bowl with snowflakes. The person in the middle a green bowl with clover. The individual on the right holds two smaller white bowls.

Adults

Regular activities and opportunities to get creative for adults.

Adults
Celebrate Different Collective
A group of six stand round a table. They are looking at pieces of paper in front of them.

Young People

Join our Celebrate Different Collective – our young ambassadors’ group for ages 13-25. Plan projects, co-produce and run cultural events, and learn new skills from artists.

Celebrate Different Collective
Plan Your Visit
A stone and glass fronted building. In the centre there is a round entrance with 'Museum and Winter Gardens' above the doorway.

Plan your visit

Find out how to get here and about our facilities before you visit

Plan Your Visit

News

Get closer to Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens' collections thanks to the Museum Renewal Fund
A person wearing gloves and a white shirt carefully handles a preserved bird specimen from a green storage crate lined with tissue paper. The scene appears to take place in a museum or archive setting, suggesting the handling of natural history collections.

Get closer to Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens' collections thanks to the Museum Renewal Fund

Read more
Community Partnership in Action
A woman in a green jacket holds a wooden garden planter. She is standing in a garden.

Community Partnership in Action

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Arts Council cash helps Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens tell the city's story
A view of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as seen from across the lake in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Arts Council cash helps Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens tell the city's story

Read more
Four children sit on a low stone wall with clipboards and pencils. Behind them is a cluster of green leafy plants.

Make a donation

We want more people to enjoy and experience creativity and culture. Your donation can make a real difference to our work.

Select an amount to donate (one-off)