Vital repairs set to start at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Scaffolding is set to be erected around Sunderland's Museum & Winter Gardens to allow for vital repairs to the roof and stonework.

Funded by the Arts Council England and Sunderland City Council, the repairs will address urgent condition issues within the building, preserving its historic fabric and addressing water ingress issues.

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens was successful in securing £349,000 grant funding towards vital repairs to the building's roof and stonework from the Arts Council England Cultural Investment Fund - MEND - Museum Estates and Investment Fund in March 2023.

This is being match funded by Sunderland City Council, with £116,000 from its own funds, bringing the total investment for the repairs to £465,000.

The repairs to the oldest part of the listed building's roof are separate to ambitious multi million pound redevelopment plans for the museum which are continuing to be progressed.

A costed condition survey on Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens prepared in March 2022 highlighted particular areas of deterioration in areas to the original 1879 part of the museum. As this is the most historically and architecturally significant part of the building it was seen as a priority for investment in advance of the larger lottery funded refurbishment plans.

Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: "Securing funding from the Arts Council England has allowed us to press ahead with urgent repairs to the museum's roof and stonework.

"These repairs are about ensuring the long term preservation of one of our best loved listed buildings so that future generations can continue to enjoy it.

"They are also important in terms of helping to retain and enhance the museum's historic significance as a landmark building within the city as we continue to work up exciting plans for its transformation in line with what residents want to see."

The repair works on the roof and stonework, which are being carried out by Historic Property Restoration and Purcell Architects, are due for completion in the early part of next year.