My Winter Garden Haven (Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Date:	21/10/08 (132 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun displays. The garden is relaxing.

Disadvantages: Some of the displays are eerie.

I went to university in Sunderland and found that if I ever needed to chill out between reading sessions this was the best place to visit.

The museum is very easy to get to and is situated literally just around the corner from the city centre metro train station and not far from the Park Lane main bus interchange. It is also near to The Bridges shopping centre.

The museum also overlooks the beautiful Mowbray Park - an unmissable attraction if you are ever visiting the museum. The park is choc full of brilliant modern art sculptures and historic monuments. There are safe play areas for children and hills to climb where you can get fantastic views over the city for miles in each direction. The pond, favoured by seagulls, has a cute, friendly walrus sculpture on its shoreline! There is a war memorial and a moving statue of a woman cradling a dead child - this is encased in glass. The latter is a memorial to the child victims of a tragedy that occured in 1883. 183 children were crushed when they rushed to collect a free toy horse at a theatre show giveaway. The tragedy is explored in more detail in a display in the museum, and there is even one of the toy horses housed in a display cabinet. It sends shivers down your spine to see it.

There is no entrance fee to the museum, although there are collection boxes inside where you are asked to donate for the running costs. It is well worth donating something or just purchasing something at the shop on your way out.

There is lots to see and do inside. Many of the displays are child friendly. The story of a performing lion who malled his keeper - whose stuffed remains sit under a spotlight whilst 'The Lion sleeps Tonight' plays non-stop is particularly amusing and memorable.

There are hands on displays where kids can push buttons and light things up or play sound clips - these are educational and fun. There is a great display which celebrates the mining history of the area and allows us to feel what it was like being down the mines by re-creating the darkness and close tunnel effect.

There are some adult-based archeology sections where there are numerous collections of inplements from all over the world. This is on the lower level.

On the upper levels there is a brilliant interactive unit which shows what life was like in Sunderland in three periods of time. The 1960's version is brilliant, and the display is full of Beatles memorablilia and quirky, flower pattern shift dresses! Groovy!

There is a small taxidermy collection - it is astonishing and a little eerie as a small glass case is packed tight with creatures of all kinds, sitting side by side, whilst undistinguishable animal noises are piped through a speaker overhead. The dark curved corridor this is in then leads into an area where live insects and fish are kept. This is an interesting area for kids as there are some gross, scary eight legged things and dozens of creepy crawlies to get excited by!

There are some computers set up nearby this area which will help children to learn through interactive software. These are very good as it means you get to put your feet up for a few minutes and learn something at the same time!

There is an art gallery on the upper floor. This has some older collections and some pieces I'm familiar with: Rossetti and Lowry, for instance. There is often a travelling exhibition too. The museum also often shows the work of local art groups in a small makeshift gallery outside of the main one. It is lovely to see how talented the locals are.

After visiting the displays I recommend heading to the Winter Gardens. The giant glass dome is a major greenhouse filled with exotic plants from around the globe. There is a small, bridged stream inside and you can wander around the pathways and walk up to a balcony and look down from above. It is very relaxing to spend time here and the air feels fresh and magical. I also get a big laugh out of looking up at the roof of the glass dome and watching the seagulls waddle about! Try looking up and see what I mean!

There is a small cafe alongside the gardens where you can get refreshments and snacks for a very reasonable price. It can get very busy though.

The shop near the exit sells postcards and prints of the artwork in the gallery as well as books, pens, keyrings and other children's items.

This is definately my favourite museum in the North East and I never visit Sunderland without heading here!

Summary: A brilliant museum and winter garden, not to miss if you are visiting Sunderland.