Sunderland is probably best known for its association with coalmining, shipbuilding and football.
Its connection with the manufacture of glass is less widely known and yet, at points in its history, the city has monopolised the production of this important commodity.
The National Glass Centre in Sunderland first opened its doors to visitors in 1998 and last year it carried out a £2.3m redevelopment of its permanent and temporary exhibition spaces.
The centre’s director, James Bustard, has said that his venue aims “to be treated as a prime visitor attraction... in the premier league”.
I visited, appropriately enough, on a match day, but this Sunderland fan drove past the neighbouring stadium in search of a top-of-the-table visitor experience.
The permanent exhibition, Stories of Glass in Sunderland, is divided into three zones: Origins, Growth and Legacy. Each zone is represented by a different colour, creating a well-structured, easily understood visitor route.
A timeline at the start of the exhibition uses the same colours to identify the events that occurred within these three main time zones, and explains in a short introductory paragraph that glassmaking was one of the city’s main industries, alongside coalmining and shipbuilding.
Each zone contains a combination of text, collections displays and interactive elements.
The text is well-layered in terms of content and design, and visitors can choose their level of engagement.
The key messages are presented in the opening paragraphs and the pithy facts that decorate the walls. This is a basic but incredibly effective interpretive tool.
The collections are well presented and the case layouts and lighting really bring out the best in the colourful collection of glass through the ages and quite literally allow the objects to shine.
The only thing that lets the displays down are the overly wordy object labels – 167 words in one case. Although the text is accessible and well-presented, the sizeable object labels have a tendency to dominate the displays in places.
The interactives in the three zones are very effective. The combination of touchscreen interactives, audiovisual presentations and oral history accessed via listening posts alongside the more traditional graphic displays has been well-thought out to ensure that different learning styles are catered for.
One interactive that stood out for me was a short animated film accessed via a touchscreen in the Origins zone.
Using illustrations and narration by the pupils of nearby Grindon Infant School, the film tells the story of the origins of glassmaking in Sunderland with Benedict Biscop (later patron saint of the city) bringing craftsmen from Gaul to create stained-glass windows for his new monastery at Monkwearmouth.
The film probably aims to present the story by children for children, but I’m sure that I’m not the only adult to appreciate its straightforward narrative and humour.
The audiovisual presentation in the Growth zone, a silent film with subtitles, represents a concise and informative narrative on Sunderland’s monopoly over glassmaking in the 19th century, a time when there were at least ten glassmaking factories along the River Wear, one of which produced a third of the supply of sheet glass for England as well as importing the product abroad.
The listening posts in the Legacy zone reveal the stories of the men and women who worked in the glassmaking industry that once thrived in the area. They add an engaging humanity to the story.
Frameware
I left the permanent exhibition feeling entertained and enlightened by a new, broader understanding of the city’s industrial past.
Moving on to the temporary exhibition space, there is a different and refreshing angle on the story of glass – Spectacles: The Oliver Goldsmith Collection.
This follows the development of spectacles from unfashionable, unsightly medical essential to must-have fashion accessory.
The most arresting thing about the exhibition is the presentation of the collection.
Various designs of spectacles are displayed in striking glass pods suspended from the ceiling with wires, alongside more traditional display cases.
The collection includes stunning examples of frames favoured through the ages and worn by celebrities, as well as contextual items such as a visitor book from Goldsmith’s shop, dated 1966, signed by celebrities such as Peter Sellers, Lulu and Nancy Sinatra.
The slightly confused visitor route and graphic treatment are a little disappointing next to the stunning collection and display.
The exhibition text is relatively concise but the design of the panels is a little bland. This does allow the collection to shine, which was perhaps the intention.
A graphic timeline runs throughout the three zones from the 1920s to the present day and contains interesting, bite-sized chunks of information that enhance the narrative.
However, it is displayed at a low level, running underneath the display cases in a relatively small font, with a poor colour contrast (white text on a pastel-coloured background), and the effect and information are lost.
The temporary exhibition presents a fresh, contemporary counterpoint to the more traditional narrative approach used in the permanent exhibition.
This is a refreshing contrast and spurred me forwards at a time when museum fatigue would normally be kicking in.
However, the design-led nature of the exhibition, while appropriate given the subject matter, makes the content take a back-seat and accessing the narrative becomes more laborious.
Live glassmaking
I ended my visit with a live glassmaking demonstration in the galleries downstairs, which provides another refreshing twist on the story.
The juxtaposition of an informative and accessible permanent exhibition, cutting-edge temporary exhibitions and live demonstrations fully endorses the centre’s commitment to “continuing the legacy of culture and learning pioneered by Biscop 1,300 years ago”.
Down the road at the Stadium of Light, there was a disappointing 2-0 home defeat, but for me, an impressive, varied and enlightening experience has earned its place in the premier league of visitor attractions.
Mary Stones is the interpretation project manager for the National Trust for Scotland
Its connection with the manufacture of glass is less widely known and yet, at points in its history, the city has monopolised the production of this important commodity.
The National Glass Centre in Sunderland first opened its doors to visitors in 1998 and last year it carried out a £2.3m redevelopment of its permanent and temporary exhibition spaces.
The centre’s director, James Bustard, has said that his venue aims “to be treated as a prime visitor attraction... in the premier league”.
I visited, appropriately enough, on a match day, but this Sunderland fan drove past the neighbouring stadium in search of a top-of-the-table visitor experience.
The permanent exhibition, Stories of Glass in Sunderland, is divided into three zones: Origins, Growth and Legacy. Each zone is represented by a different colour, creating a well-structured, easily understood visitor route.
A timeline at the start of the exhibition uses the same colours to identify the events that occurred within these three main time zones, and explains in a short introductory paragraph that glassmaking was one of the city’s main industries, alongside coalmining and shipbuilding.
Each zone contains a combination of text, collections displays and interactive elements.
The text is well-layered in terms of content and design, and visitors can choose their level of engagement.
The key messages are presented in the opening paragraphs and the pithy facts that decorate the walls. This is a basic but incredibly effective interpretive tool.
The collections are well presented and the case layouts and lighting really bring out the best in the colourful collection of glass through the ages and quite literally allow the objects to shine.
The only thing that lets the displays down are the overly wordy object labels – 167 words in one case. Although the text is accessible and well-presented, the sizeable object labels have a tendency to dominate the displays in places.
The interactives in the three zones are very effective. The combination of touchscreen interactives, audiovisual presentations and oral history accessed via listening posts alongside the more traditional graphic displays has been well-thought out to ensure that different learning styles are catered for.
One interactive that stood out for me was a short animated film accessed via a touchscreen in the Origins zone.
Using illustrations and narration by the pupils of nearby Grindon Infant School, the film tells the story of the origins of glassmaking in Sunderland with Benedict Biscop (later patron saint of the city) bringing craftsmen from Gaul to create stained-glass windows for his new monastery at Monkwearmouth.
The film probably aims to present the story by children for children, but I’m sure that I’m not the only adult to appreciate its straightforward narrative and humour.
The audiovisual presentation in the Growth zone, a silent film with subtitles, represents a concise and informative narrative on Sunderland’s monopoly over glassmaking in the 19th century, a time when there were at least ten glassmaking factories along the River Wear, one of which produced a third of the supply of sheet glass for England as well as importing the product abroad.
The listening posts in the Legacy zone reveal the stories of the men and women who worked in the glassmaking industry that once thrived in the area. They add an engaging humanity to the story.
Frameware
I left the permanent exhibition feeling entertained and enlightened by a new, broader understanding of the city’s industrial past.
Moving on to the temporary exhibition space, there is a different and refreshing angle on the story of glass – Spectacles: The Oliver Goldsmith Collection.
This follows the development of spectacles from unfashionable, unsightly medical essential to must-have fashion accessory.
The most arresting thing about the exhibition is the presentation of the collection.
Various designs of spectacles are displayed in striking glass pods suspended from the ceiling with wires, alongside more traditional display cases.
The collection includes stunning examples of frames favoured through the ages and worn by celebrities, as well as contextual items such as a visitor book from Goldsmith’s shop, dated 1966, signed by celebrities such as Peter Sellers, Lulu and Nancy Sinatra.
The slightly confused visitor route and graphic treatment are a little disappointing next to the stunning collection and display.
The exhibition text is relatively concise but the design of the panels is a little bland. This does allow the collection to shine, which was perhaps the intention.
A graphic timeline runs throughout the three zones from the 1920s to the present day and contains interesting, bite-sized chunks of information that enhance the narrative.
However, it is displayed at a low level, running underneath the display cases in a relatively small font, with a poor colour contrast (white text on a pastel-coloured background), and the effect and information are lost.
The temporary exhibition presents a fresh, contemporary counterpoint to the more traditional narrative approach used in the permanent exhibition.
This is a refreshing contrast and spurred me forwards at a time when museum fatigue would normally be kicking in.
However, the design-led nature of the exhibition, while appropriate given the subject matter, makes the content take a back-seat and accessing the narrative becomes more laborious.
Live glassmaking
I ended my visit with a live glassmaking demonstration in the galleries downstairs, which provides another refreshing twist on the story.
The juxtaposition of an informative and accessible permanent exhibition, cutting-edge temporary exhibitions and live demonstrations fully endorses the centre’s commitment to “continuing the legacy of culture and learning pioneered by Biscop 1,300 years ago”.
Down the road at the Stadium of Light, there was a disappointing 2-0 home defeat, but for me, an impressive, varied and enlightening experience has earned its place in the premier league of visitor attractions.
Mary Stones is the interpretation project manager for the National Trust for Scotland
Project data
- Cost £2.3m (redevelopment)
- Main funders Arts Council England (Large Capital Programme) £750,000; Heritage Lottery Fund £250,000; Sir James Knott Trust £100,000; Foyle Foundation £50,000
- Architect FaulknerBrowns
- Exhibition design Studioarc
- Project management Identity Consult (formerly Elliott Dent)
- Audiovisual drum film Freakworks
- Display cases ClickNetherfield
