As always the glass demonstration was amazing.. We bought the vase he made last year.. We bought a lovely beach sea and sky glass pic this time as it was our 3rd wedding anniversary and glass is the theme .. definitely worth a visit this is our 3rd
Food is great lots to see right on the river lots of gorgeous glass to buy for presents food on sale in cafe lots to chose from parking is 5 mins from the centre watch the glass been blown lots to see and do
Not much to see, but what is there is brilliant! The glass making demonstration was lush.
Great architecture and design great views of the river wear and roker + The Northern spire
Brilliant place. Lots to do and see. A great experience and well worth visiting!
Five stars for this place. My daughter coming to the National Glass Center.
Good for all the family and also good food at great prices
Really worth a visit. Beautiful light and modern building on the river. Great exhibition spaces with some excellent exhibitions (in my opinion) including Dan Holdsworth's photographs. You can watch from a seated gallery to see glass being made in the workshop where the processes are carefully explained. The shop and cafe are also nicely stocked.
Awesome live demonstrations of glass blowing! Free to watch daily. Lovely range of handmade unique glass available to buy onsite, also nice cafe and views.
Such an amazing place to take the kids , very interesting
Great place for a few hours out. Fun for the family too. Really cool seeing the live glassblowing.
Really enjoyed the glass blowing displays..very informative
Great place to visit. Lots to see, live glass blowing etc. Nice cafe, with a marvelous riverside aspect.
A nice place to visit for a couple of hours. Watching the glass blowing was interesting.
Nice exhibits, kind personnel and some really beautiful souvenirs.
A very deceptive place. The centre is quite small. But there s plenty to see and do. There s quite a lot of hands on for the children and the displays are well set out and easy to understand. The demonstrations are amazing we watched two and they were both excellent. Given by people who are clearly experts in there field with a degree of humour which is very enjoyable. A very good place for an afternoon out with lots of free parking and free admission. You can make a donation which is very fair. The cafe is excellent.
Just sitting by the river, but the staff are great the whole experience tremendous
A gem of an attraction in a magnificent setting on the banks of the River Wear. Well worth a visit, watch the glass objects be made on site by local craftsmen and buy some unique pieces in the gift shop. The restaurant is reasonably priced, the food is delicious and the staff are very friendly, polite and professional. Don't forget to walk on the glass roof (beware if you are wearing a dress or a skirt... the people below might be looking up). A great place to visit.
Went for an amazing experience to see how to blow baubles and then make one. Great team, helpful and supportive!
Granddaughter made a Christmas bauble we watched her actually blow and add colours, to the bauble! fantastic time.
The National Glass Centre has very good exhibitions and visitors can watch glassmakers practice their skills.The building is very bright and has a lovely location on the river Wear.The beaches and harbour at Roker are approximately ten/fifteen minutes wak away.
Very interesting good exhibition, staff friendly and helpful,
Nice for quick visit. Free demonstrations and good quick bite with nice scenery.
So interesting. Good to watch the glass being made. History part was well laid out. Opportunity to sit outside ans see the port and to have a meal. Good shopping opportunities
It's a free admission and free parking plus the have people glass blowing which is really good to watch
See through glass roof you can walk on, pretty scary
Stunning setting right by River Wear. A tanker glides by towed by a tug as you sip your coffee! Interesting displays with hands- on for visitors. Nice and warm on a cold day due to the furnaces!
Still weary of going across the glass Haha great fun for the kids
Great visit, the man made glass paper weight for us because we missed the main demo.
Such an interesting venue. So different with hands on if interested great gifts and stylish cafe. A must do on your travels in the northeast.
Interesting exhibits. The actual fabric of the Centre needs to be repaired. No longer water tight. XXX
Modern building and a great place to see glassware and how it's made. Glass blowing demo was really interesting. Cafe has good food. Kids loved walking on the glass roof.
Lovely place for lunch while watching what is going on in the dock. Great place to walk around. Great pieces of glass for sale in the shop. Well worth a visit
Very interesting, nice little museum and can watch glass being made. The cafe is definitely a highlight.
Exciting walking on the glass roof, excellent free demonstrations
Wonderful morning sitting outside. Lovely breakfast and harbour entertainment. Glass blowing demo and wonderful exhibs.
They have always got lots going, for kids and adults. It has a lovely cafe which faces on to the river Wear.
Nice place to visit, you can find out how the glass arts are made
Interesting watching glass making. Nice cafe on the riverside. Lovely path along the harbour side to Roker beach.
This was far more than we expected..especially as entrance eas FREE .the demonstration was interesting to people of all ages . The displays were exhibited in sections ..making everything accessible ...lovely coffee and scone in the cafe before heading home . It was a good half day out and enjoyed by 3 generations of our family
Brilliant staff and very talented people working there. Something for everyone.
Very interesting demonstration of the glass making art with a the traditional skills of laboratory glass & art glass presented in a safe but close setting. A nice display of the artists glassware is on display for sale and a history gallery of glass making in Sunderland. Another great way to spend a pleasant day in the North East of England The cafe was good too and did gluten free snacks.
A brilliant afternoon, Some beautiful pieces on display and very talented people show the art of glass blowing.
Much better than expected, staff very informative, well worth visiting
Can watch the glass being blown, and then buy designer collections.Nice lunches too!
Very disappointing. Displays are drab and the cafe shabby and dirty with lacklustre staff.
Nice, clean, interesting. Cafe looks good, but very small choice of food
Plenty of information about the glass making history of Sunderland which was interesting as I didn't know the city had been so involved in the industry. The must see of the day were the demonstrations of glass blowing and glass turning. These were very well presented and showed the skill and knowledge involved in making glass objects
Very interesting place to visit, there's something for every age & always have fantastic exhibits. The glass yard restaurant is also a "must", excellent food & service..
A beautiful building,and a very interesting day.Went as a group of over 50's and were joined by a group of primary school pupils..and we all thought it was very educational,especially the glass blowing exhibition.good cafe,right next to the river Wear.definitely worth a visit.Where else can u have a day out for free???
Amazing...Well worth a visit helpful friendly staff with a incredible show how they blow the glass ..took my granddaughter age 7 who loved it ..got a coffee shop and gift shop .my 3rd visit in 2 years !!
Although previous reviews gave a good report on the glass blowing demonstration we found the commentary limited and after considerable time a paper weight was produced that was impractible to see in all its glory due to the ongoing process. I did find the two staff members had plenty to say between themselves though. The food was hit and miss unfortunately. Despite a good sized omelette dish the fish fingers and toasties were burnt to a crisp and the salad had seen better days. I was also disappointed with not much in the way glass sculptors/vases for sale but more of the usual tourist cheap tat. The historical galleries were interesting otherwise not really worth a day out imo.
We saw such amazing artwork and lots of demonstrations making beautiful objects
Very minimal things there . Foods a little pricey but excellent service
Free, great cafe - good value, excellent presentation of glass blowing.....
My family had been to the glass museum a couple off times before and where very enthusiastic so when we had family visiting from Japan my wife wanted to take them there. I was a little dubious but it was a big success. The building is very stylish and packed with interesting exhibits. The best bits are the demonstrations of working with glass. These have all the elements of tense theatre as you watch a glass product being made and hope that it doesn't end up in pieces on the floor.
Highly recommended.
Visited over Halloween, there was activities for visitors such as plate decorating and glass blowing demonstration. The demonstration when we visited was blowing a glass pumpkin. Situated on river Wear with restraunt/cafe and gift shop.
Imformitave and very interesting. Lovely spacious area with great views of the river.
Reception very informative & friendly, impressed with staff. Cafe wasn't good. Delayed service, food served lukewarm, not as described on menu & veg was practically raw. Disappointing. No menu for small appetites & generally unhealthy options.
Nice detailed history of the surrounding area. A bit boring for kids.
It's our second visit but still fascinating to watch such skilled craftsmen. We could easily have watched the demonstrations again! Easy free parking and free entry. Cafe good.
Bring history to where it belongs Sunderland was big for glass making
The national class center is a very nice afternoon outing on a rainy day. There is no charge to tour and the exhibit and the demonstration is free. Thee is a cafe that is very clean and airy and had a naive menu and the chef was willing to merry my special request. The center offers workshops and events ave programs. I wish I would bed in town to inarticulate mire. The gift shop is lovely and I encourage you to leave a donation of any amount in the cases.
Enjoyed an interesting visit here, learning a lot about glass, history and also watched a live glass making workshop. Free parking, free entry, nice riverside location... what's not to like.
National Glass Centre: A Hub of Creativity and Innovation
Sunderland Culture is a new organisation that aims to bring together the most important cultural assets and activities in Sunderland. One of its key components is the National Glass Centre, a hub of creativity and innovation that showcases the best in contemporary glass art.
Located on the banks of the River Wear, National Glass Centre is a stunning building that houses galleries, studios, workshops, and a gift shop. It was opened in 1998 as part of an ambitious regeneration project for Sunderland's riverside area. Since then, it has become one of the city's most popular attractions.
The centre's mission is to promote glass as an art form and inspire people to explore its potential. It achieves this through a range of exhibitions, events, workshops, and educational programmes that cater to all ages and abilities.
One of National Glass Centre's main draws is its impressive collection of contemporary glass art. The galleries showcase works by some of the world's leading glass artists alongside emerging talent from across the UK. Visitors can expect to see everything from delicate blown-glass sculptures to bold installations that push the boundaries of what can be achieved with this versatile material.
In addition to its exhibition spaces, National Glass Centre also boasts state-of-the-art studios where visitors can watch skilled craftspeople at work. These include hot glass studios where molten glass is shaped into intricate forms using traditional techniques such as blowing and casting; kiln-forming studios where flat sheets are fused together or slumped into three-dimensional shapes; lampworking studios where small-scale objects are created using a torch flame; and cold-working studios where finished pieces are polished or engraved.
For those who want to get hands-on with glass themselves, there are plenty of opportunities at National Glass Centre too. The centre offers regular workshops for adults and children alike covering everything from basic techniques like cutting and fusing to more advanced skills like sandblasting or engraving. There are also longer courses available for those who want to develop their skills further or pursue a career in glassmaking.
National Glass Centre has something for everyone – whether you're an art lover looking for inspiration or simply curious about how this fascinating material is made. Its location on Sunderland's picturesque riverside makes it an ideal destination for a day out with family or friends – there are plenty more cultural attractions nearby including museums, theatres, cinemas, restaurants and bars.
In conclusion,
National Glass Centre stands out as one-of-a-kind attraction not only in Sunderland but also across England due to its unique focus on contemporary glass art combined with education programs catering all ages & abilities which makes it perfect destination spot for families & individuals alike seeking inspiration & entertainment while learning about history & culture behind this fascinating medium!
sunderlandculture.org.uk
