Anneke unearths our past to shape museum's future

Collections Care Development Manager Anneke Hackenbroich is unearthing hidden stories in the museum's stores ready to share them with local communities as part of redeveloping SMWG.

It was announced in 2022 that Sunderland City Council had been granted £300,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to draw up detailed plans for a proposed multi-million pound development of the popular museum.

Anneke explained: "My job is to work my way through the museum's storerooms to find objects and stories that might be suitable for display in new spaces created for the redeveloped museum.

"Our stores are full to the brim, which is unsurprising given Sunderland's rich history, and although the majority of items have been catalogued, some of these items have not been seen for many years. 

"We've found all sorts of items, some of which have been difficult to identify or work out exactly what they are.

"We're making exciting finds every week, and recently I found a beautiful sextant (an instrument used in maritime navigation) that hadn't been catalogued. It's great to bring these things that are central to Sunderland's history back into the light.

"Some of the objects we're looking at date back many years, while others are a little more recent, and they range from paintings and artwork to military memorabilia, and from items from the city's industrial and maritime heritage and household products.

"We're currently looking into what we have and exploring whether we have some objects with an exciting, interesting story that hasn't yet been told."

Members of the museum's team and a team of volunteers are helping Anneke with her huge task.

Proposals drawn up for SMWG include the potential to move the main entrance into Mowbray Park, transforming the ground floor with a new central atrium space and new galleries as well as more family friendly activities and exhibitions. The redevelopment will also create a new learning and engagement zone.

The development funding, made possible by National Lottery players, will allow the council to continue to progress its plans and apply for a full grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund later this year.