Sunderland's Museum & Winter Gardens set to undergo vital repair work
Scaffolding is set to be erected around Sunderland's much loved Museum & Winter Gardens next week to allow vital repairs which will cost nearly half-a-million-pounds to go ahead on the Grade II listed building's 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 (damp).
To help fund the vital repairs, the Museum & Winter Gardens was successful in securing a £349,000 grant from the Arts Council England Cultural Investment Fund.
The City Council is providing £116,000 from its own funds, bringing the total investment for the repairs to £465,000.
A costed condition survey on Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens prepared in March 2022 highlighted particular areas of deterioration in the original 1879 part of the museum.
As the most historically and architecturally significant part of the building, these repairs have taken priority over separate future redevelopment plans for the museum.
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 (2025).