Frequently Asked Questions

National Glass Centre is open every day, 10am – 5pm

The Glass Yard Cafe is open Daily from 10am – 4.30pm (please note last orders for hot food is at 4pm)

We are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day

These opening times are applicable to National Glass Centre and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.

 

Admission is FREE at National Glass Centre.

Visitors to National Glass Centre are required to pay for parking at National Glass Centre Car Park, which is located to the front of the building and accessible from Dame Dorothy Street.

Find out more about National Glass Centre car parking charges.

During busy periods, overflow parking can be found in the gravel car park to the right of the main car park.

Blue Badge holders may continue to park for free in designated bays providing they display a valid permit.

National Glass Centre’s cafe The Glass Yard is located on the lower ground floor, accessible via the Riverside entrance and the main entrance. The Glass Yard is open all year apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. It offers hot meals, snacks and sandwiches, as well as beer, wine, and hot and cold beverages.

Our amazing daily glass blowing, lathe and flameworking demonstrations are running daily for you to enjoy.

Find out more about our Daily Glass Blowing Demonstrations.

National Glass Centre offers a wide range of opportunities to have a go at making your own glass, including our Glass Making Experiences, One –to – one Glass Blowing Experiences, Adult Courses and Classes and Family Activities.

Assistance animals are more than welcome in the Museum.  However, we do not allow pets.

Yes. National Glass Centre is wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask at our Visitor Services Desk. You can book wheelchairs in advance by calling 0191 515 5555 (Option 9).

 

Pushchairs are not available from us, but we do encourage and allow their use within the building.

Photography is permitted for personal use only, all photography for commercial use is prohibited unless pre-authorised by the Marketing Team.

Our Gallery Learning Facilitators are happy to give you a free exhibition tour at any time, just ask at Reception or in the Gallery. If you are visiting with a group, please call ahead to let us know you would like a tour or book one of our Group Tour packages.

Yes. National Glass Centre has free public wireless internet access (WiFi) in most areas including The Glass Yard and the Reading Room. The signal may be weaker in some areas than others.

Select “NGC Public” from the list of Wi-Fi networks.

No. National Glass Centre and the surrounding University of Sunderland campus are smoke-free areas

We do not accept cash at the moment. We accept all forms of card payment apart from American Express Credit Cards.

No, we do not have a cash machine ATM within the building, however there is a cash machine, 2 minutes walk away, at St Peter’s Campus and all areas of the Centre take card payments.

Sunderland has a long legacy of glassmaking. In 674AD, the city’s patron saint, Benedict Biscop, commissioned French glaziers to make a stained glass window for his new monastery in Monkwearmouth, which was the first stained glass in the UK.  Find out more about why we’re here.

You can visit St. Peters monastery right across the street from the National Glass Centre. Find out more about a visit to St Peter’s monastery here.