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National Glass Centre

National Glass Centre

Add National Glass Centre to your Itinerary

Housed in a spectacular architecturally designed glass and steel building situated on the north bank of the River Wear in Sunderland the National Glass Centre is a unique cultural venue and visitor attraction.

Adults, children, individuals and group tours can enjoy a full range of exhibitions exploring ideas inspired by glass through our exhibitions and galleries, workshops and activities. We are home to the UK's largest art glass making facilities for kiln forming, stained glass, lampworking and hot and cold working. These techniques are used daily by our in house studio artists, who perform live glass blowing demonstrations 3 times daily.

Our Glass Design and Craft Shop stocks a wide range of the very best in UK contemporary glass, ceramics and jewellery as well as books, lighting and varied art craft offering something for every occasion.

Finally why not relax and enjoy fine food and wine from our chef's award winning menu in our riverside restaurant, ThrowingStones open daily from 10am - 5pm. To book a table, call 0191 565 3939.

Special Offers

Accessibility:Accessibility Information Icon

Vaqas Accreditation

VAQAS accreditation logo

Gradings

  • VAQAS VB Attraction VAQAS
VAQAS VB Attraction VAQAS

Awards

  • Visit Britain Code of Practice 2010

Opening Times

Open All Year
01/01/2008 - 31/12/2010
DayTimes
Monday10:0017:00
Tuesday10:0017:00
Wednesday10:0017:00
Thursday10:0017:00
Friday10:0017:00
Saturday10:0017:00
Sunday10:0017:00
BankHoliday10:0017:00

Prices

Ticket TypeTicket Tariff
AdmissionFree

Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.

Road Directions

From North: Depart Tyne Tunnel and follow A19 to Sunderland for approximately 4 miles. Take A1231 Sunderland/Gateshead exit and turn left at the roundabout (A1231) Sunderland.

From South: Join A19 North and take A1231 Sunderland/Gateshead exit. Turn left at the roundabout (A1231 Sunderland).

Follow the brown directional signs to the National Glass Centre.

Public Transport Directions

Metro: Nearest station is St Peters or Sunderland Station.

Cycle: The National Glass Centre is part of the C2C Cycle Route and the Coast to Coast Cycle Trail from Whitehaven, Cumbria to Roker in Sunderland.

By Train: Regular services operate between Sunderland and Newcastle every 30 minutes. Travelling from the east coast mainline (Darlington, Leeds and London) is via Newcastle. There is a direct rail link to Sunderland from Middlesbrough every hour.

Facilities

Provider Features

  • In town/city centre
  • Indoor Attraction
  • No Smoking Attraction

Accessibility

  • All Areas Accessible to Disabled Visitors
  • Facilities for Hearing Impaired Visitors - Induction loops in pod conference room and education room.
  • Facilities for Visually Impaired Visitors - Large print and braille information and signage.
  • Guide Dogs Permitted
  • Parking Areas for Disabled Visitors
  • Ramp / Level Access
  • Toilets for Disabled Visitors

Parking & Transport

  • Car parking
  • On site parking
  • Parking (free)

Catering

  • On-Site café/restaurant - Restaurant catering for 100 people, serving full meals and snacks throughout the day. Special group discount packages available.
  • Picnic Site

Payment Methods

  • Approx length of visit - 2 hours to 1/2 a day
  • Blue Badge Guides admitted free
  • Delta accepted
  • Groups Accepted - Essential to prebook.
  • Maestro accepted
  • MasterCard accepted
  • Special group rates - Meal packages
  • Sterling Travellers Cheques accepted
  • TIC Staff Admitted Free
  • Visa accepted

Provider Facilities

  • Conference facilities - Five different rooms of various sizes can accomodate groups up to 250 people.
  • Event Venue
  • Toilets

Target Markets

  • Family Fun - Workshops held regularly, please contact reception for a What's on Guide
  • Marketed Towards Children
  • Marketed Towards Families
  • Marketed Towards Senior Citizens
  • Marketed Towards Students / Youth

Tours and Demonstrations

  • Demonstrations Given
  • Educational Visits Accepted - 5 meeting rooms available which can hold between 1 and 250 people.
  • Guided Tours Available for Groups
  • Guided Tours Available for Individuals

Languages spoken

  • Polish spoken
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National Glass Centre

National Glass Centre
Liberty Way
Sunderland
Tyne and Wear
SR6 0GL

Tel: +44 0191 515 5555

Fax: +44 0191 515 5556

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