The museum charts the history of glass making in this area from late 17th Century through the golden years of the 19th Century with exhibits of glassware from that period. Together with the protectionist policies of the glass makers guild, it was the trinity of cheap coal, high quality sand and shipping links that made Sunderland such a success in this craft. You need to book ahead to see demonstrations of glass making, however you can view some of the activities going on through the thick floor to ceiling plated glass on the ground floor. This centre is very modern, with lots of natural light from its riverside location. The restaurant has a large inside area as well as outside eating with tables/chairs on the riverside terrace. Lift access is available and the centre has a good shop on the lower floor. Very nice building and location.

Loved it 😍 educational and informative. Bought my self some jewellery in the shop, had cuppa bacon sandwich in cafe. Well happy 😊

Absolutely brilliant. Donation entry suggestion of £3 but wow is there alot to see and read over the two floors. Fab cafe, helpful staff, live demonstrations and a brilliant gift shop. My husband had to drag me out of there lol Will definitely be back. If you love art and Glass then this is the place for you to visit....

Free entry . Lots of glass sculptures and models to watch. There is a caffe inside and a shop sells different glass made and other Curious stuffs. Demonstrations for making of glass stuffs. Parking- pay and display in front of the Centre £ 1/60 per hour. Two hour is enough to watch the whole … including demo.

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Watched Glass blowing and saw exhibitions. Lovely tea room. Free entry and parking

The place has real possibilities for a great day out, however when we visited the glass blowing and other demos were not available, despite what their website site said. Two of the main exhibition suites were empty and the main exhibition of "confluence" only had a few exhibits in it. Capy the toy capybarra (see photo) Was not especially impressed either.

Nice place to go for art lovers.. You can even see how glass decor objects like vases and all are actually made. They always have seasonal specials organised.. like for example they have Christmas specials , Halloween specials , etc . They do conduct special glass exhibitions for people to see.. They even conduct small paid session tutorials kind of sessions where they teach you glass painting , glass lantern making , etc. They have a small cafe too which serves good food. The staff is helpful and polite! It is end to end accessible friendly with accessible path, lift , access throughout the building with ramps and even accessible friendly toilets with diaper changing room n cafe!♿ Definitely recommend to all !

Easy to find. Decent parking. Had to pay for the parking though 😒. Long ramp down to the centre which does have lifts so ok for wheel chair users. At certain times you can watch experts make glass things which is really cool and a Boffin tells you all about it. Recommend you sit at the back, quite a heat comes off the furnaces. Toilets clean. Cafe food ok. Recommend you do not order between the showing times of the glass works as it took 45 minutes from ordering for the food to arrive. It was not worth the 45 minute wait in my opinion. Perhaps if the glass centre did some shuffling around with hand on deck at the cafe at lunch time and maybe had its “business meeting” customers have their bit elsewhere. I noticed the same 3 people at the same table before and after I saw the glass making. The shop is amazing. I will be making a trip back just to get some lovely gifts for people.

First time of visiting. Was quite impressed. Lovely cup of tea in the cafe. My great Aunt worked for years at Pyrex so was quite interesting to find out the history. Amazing views across the river/port.

Leaving aside the brutal architecture of the entrance the rest of the building has much to offer. Lovely, well maintained building with great displays of glass. Very informative and impressive. The cafe offers a clean friendly service with great views of the R. Wear. Free admission and absolutely well worth a visit.

This place is great for kids. It has lots of artwork in it and kids can even design their own glass. It has an amazing view of the river from a large glass window. There is a small gift shop where you can buy small glass sculptures that have been made in that building. There is also a room where you can go into and watch the people melt the glass and make them into vases and different sculptures. There is a cafeteria at the bottom of the building which you can sit by the window and eat your food whilst watching the boats. I would definitely recommend visiting this beautiful place.

Some remarkable pieces of artwork on display . Very attractive environment and helpful and knowledgeable staff members. Even though I missed the glass blowing (making)demo, could see one made through the glass doors so wasn't a disappointing visit. A generously spacious cafe, seen getting cleaned every few minutes. Some great outdoor space by the rever for coffees and snacks .

Some fabulous exhibitions with somone on hand to explain processes if you're interested. Lovely little shop with some fab stuff ( yes I did). Cafe great homemade food. Cakes, scones, leaf tea. Definitely worth a visit. Then you can walk along the riverside. Don't miss this before they VERY SADLY re-locate it in 2026.

Super location. Free parking and entry . Children loved the halloween art activities some free but ones to pay for were only £3. They do similar activities for children at other times of the year. Lots of toy type activities too which are always available. Spectacular glass blowing demonstration. A really good shop. Helpful friendly staff.

It was really good because I would always come on a sunny day and sometimes come to watch the glass blowing demonstrations but for creative industries week at uni I was able to look behind the scenes and thought it was very cool despite being in a pandemic.

As with a lot of modern Arty museums; it's contemporary. What that means is a lot of space but not much content. My son (teenager) was livid when I tricked him by driving there. However, after all that he enjoyed it and was amazed by some of the displays. As you can see, not all glass. The godzilla type cardboard city scapes were unexpected; impressive. Maybe not for little ones; my younger ones would have enjoyed them in the wrong way. I also learned that glass is to Sunderland what steel is to Sheffield. If you get the timing right, the glass blowing demo is very good and informative. Don't go overdressed, it's very warm! As some of the other reviewers have stated, the café is also very pleasant. Nice setting by the river.

Was a lovely day had a cup of tea out in the sun.

This is about the cafe.. Not the centre exhibitions. Visited twice this year so far. Both times the car park payment meter was broken. That's fine as far as it goes because we parked for free ( £3.20 for 2 hours is the normally rate) but it does say something about the general management. The roof, with its glass panels, is still closed. The sculpture at the front is gone. This time we came for lunch oh dear ... The cafe servers good coffee but the food is beyond basic. Sandwiches, soup, baked potatoes (cheese, beans or tuna... Not exactly exciting..), fish and chips, veg lasagne. Around £6. Children's meals, fish fingers etc, are £4.95 which is a real rip off. Lovely shop and we have seen glass blowing in the past which is wonderful.

Amazing modern space and great river view location. Expected to see more of an array of exciting glass products - stained glass would be nice to see and some colourful large scale impressive pieces. Cafe was nicely situated, although food and staff seemed to let it down. Good stop off for a couple of hours, for a drink and a browse around the gift shop. Car Parking was ample but fee information needs to be clearly shown at pay station.

Great place to visit. Would definitely go again

The staff were brilliant. I popped in for a quick breakfast. I was served by Kim and paddy who were an absolute delight. Eggs Benedict was very delicious.

Beautiful building and glass art pieces! A must see if you r visiting Sunderland. Nice cafe too. I really enjoyed the glass blowing demo ! The man narrating was funny and engaging, make sure to check the schedule before u visit to see what’s on.

Beautiful place to walk through and explore. I had an iced latte at the cafe and walked along the river. There is plenty of seating in the cafe and outside. The displays are breathtaking, as is the glass blowing demonstration. The center is free. The front desk helped me get a taxi when it started raining, the lady was lovely.

Great place to visit, great displays and demonstrations all free Parking very reasonable .60p/hr? As well as a lovely cafe with lovely cake, coffee and light lunches

Because of storm damage there is less to see. Downstairs is closed. Great glass exhibition is currently on. Gift shop and soon to open coffee shop.

Had a lovely time today with my toddler, he loved the little activities that were set up.

It’s definitely worth a trip to see the NGC in Sunderland - lots of fascinating things to see, lovey location and a nice cafe, the highlight for us was the glass blowing demonstration though, it was fantastic!

Great place to come with easy access parking right at the front of the building. Plenty for everyone to do something from adults to kids. I found the glass blowing very entertaining and really enjoyed learning the making process. We also had a special glass heart made with a relatives ashes added inside which was nice. The staff there are very helpful and will always visit in the summer holidays as has some great things on to keep the kids entertained. Thanks again.

Interesting displays showcasing history of glass as a major source of revenue, as well as many latest art pieces. I was mainly intrigued by the half an hour workshop we attended on glass making, and were able to pick up wonderful souvenirs for our family. Good educational trip.

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.

Such a beautiful place to visit very cultured. We managed to book the grandkids into one of the summer classes where you can go and have a tour of the place and also have to opportunity to make your own glass fridge magnets. The kids loved it and found it very educational. Well worth a visit! The views from the top looking over the sea are amazing and when you are looking down through the glass ceiling into the restaurant, you will have butterflies! Great service and food selection is brilliant. Overall one of the best places to visit if you are coming to Sunderland.

Great place to spend a few hours in lovely surroundings overlooking the mouth of the river wear. Two demonstrations are repeated over various times of the day; we only saw the glass blowing one which was mesmerising and we look forward to seeing the flamethrowing one another day. A nice exhibition on the history of glass making in Sunderland and several spaces for various exhbitions to happen. Great building and feels very "new". Cafe was nice with reasonably priced hot drinks and lovely cakes. The seating area over looks the walkway by the river wear which is nice and various groups stop in the cafe for a drink before carrying on with their journey. Great place to spend a few hours, pick up some beautiful glassware and learn about glassmaking. Lovely staff too.

Wonderful place. Exhibitions are interesting. Glass blowing demonstration is wonderful. We'll stocked shop. Lovely cafe overlooking the River. We will return

I've been to the glass centre loads of times over the years, it's very interesting to see artists at work and the various techniques and equipment used but to be honest I'd never actually purchased anything from the shop, I think I'd just assumed it was too expensive (without actually checking). Being at a loss what to get for Christmas gifts this year, for some reason the glass centre suddenly entered my mind and I'm glad it did, I got something really stunningly crafted, it's a really special gift and I'm confident it will be enjoyed, it's not "cheap" but it's fantastic value for money considering the amount of time, care and effort the artists have devoted to perfecting their art, there was certainly items to suite any budget. Despite the centre being closed due to covid-19 my order was gift wrapped and hand delivered within a few days by a very friendly lady named Izzy. I'm really looking forward to it opening back up so I can buy some pieces for my own house!

Fabulous to watch daily glass blowing display, very nice food & not expensive, good variety of glassware to buy in the gift shop big displays from other artists. Free parking good access for disabled

Lovely museum - the exhibits are very good and detailed, you can sometimes see live glass blowing and the cafe was nice with good food. Highly recommend!

A great variety, see glass blowing, beautiful glass work including jewellery. A good selection of food

The gift shop is always fun to have a look around with some local artists work included. We’ve bought a couple of pieces from the shop and a great recommendation for great gift ideas! The best thing about this place is brunching outside with the view of Sunderland port (especially when there is a great boat visiting!)

Lovely little museum - the exhibits are incredible and detailed, staff are super friendly, you can sometimes see live glass blowing and the cafe/gift shop are great. Highly recommend!

Nice experience but numbers was low during our visit, glass blowing is viewable from behind a screen at present, due to the Times were all experiencing with the virus.

Lovely visit to a very informative glass blowing centre. Good place to buy gifts at a reasonable price. Cafe also not bad!

Fabulious cultural institute

True Northeastern customer service. Jade could not have been more helpful in arranging for shipping a vase to Jersey CI after I had technical difficulties with online store.

Well worth a visit

Much better than expected, staff very informative, well worth visiting

well worth a visit

Nice place.

Not currently open due to Covid19.

Brilliant place, great to see the glass blowers in action

Not open at present time. Otherwise very nice to visit. Also has good restaurant and view of riverside and sea.

After traveling to the glass centre on the 4th of July with the website stating it was open to buy a birthday present the whole place was shut, very disappointing.

Very informative staff craft persons are very creative Beready to get hot & sweaty Gift shop a bit expensive but the glass wares marvelous

Ok

What a great place to visit. It's free but survives on donations from visitors. The glass blowing demonstrations are really good and also free. Cafe is lovely and a great gift shop. There are exhibitions on a lot of the time but when I visited they were in the middle of refurbing one.

Fabulous views.

A fantastic place for all the family to visit. Be sure to see the glass blowing

Beautifully views of the River Wear, nice to watch a Glass making display.

Excellent for a afternoon visit The free glass blowing demonstration is very interesting and educational The cafe and retail outlet are very good

Great visit, the man made glass paper weight for us because we missed the main demo.

Free entry . See glass blowing demonstrations . Lots of art on show and a history of glass making

Very interesting place

Very informative and interesting, parking free for visitors.

Worth a visit

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

Fascinating! Watching glass blowing is hypnotic. Good cafe too.

Nice, clean, interesting. Cafe looks good, but very small choice of food

Lovely

Just had snacks but it was beautiful presented friendly staff will definitely be going back

Very friendly staff and its so interesting and a shop there to buy things made with glass

I enjoyed watching the live glass blowing exhibition but was deeply disappointed by the photography exhibition at the NGCA. Had coffee - was okay but not a reason for me to hurry back to the café.

Really interesting demonstrations throughout the day, along with hands on work shops and exhibitions. Very reasonably priced cafe and refreshing walk along the river. Great for all ages!

Great fun Christmas bauble making.

Brilliant location for children and adults alike. Lots to experience and take part in. Exhibitions are stunning. The restaurant is excellent and staff are very attentive.

Loved the glass beadwork exhibition and bought a beatiful piece of dichroic glass jewellery for my granddaughter.

Good exhibition showing the history of glass making in Sunderland. Watch glass blowing. Cafe on ground floor and toilets. Lift avaliable. Well worth a visit. Free entry and car park.

Interesting exhibits, live glass blowing demos and classes. Cafe with views over river Wear.

Nice place to take kids. They have a live glass making demonstration which is actually quite interesting, they also have some exhibitions. I mean it’s not the most exciting place in the world but it is quite educational for little ones.

Great place for kids during the holidays

Fantastic! What a great modern structure, glass, light and perspective over the river. I was fortunate to be there when a demonstration was about to start. Two guys cleaned up and fired up the furnaces. Over the course of half an hour we were shown how the process starts with a blob of molten glass then a coloured blob added... twirl twirl, blow blow blow, twirl twirl .. a beautiful vase appeared, Great to see that glass blowing skills are alive and well in Sunderland. Nice cafe and gift shop. I bought a couple of big marbles to carry around the world with me

Free entry and free parking, there are always interesting exhibitions on. There is.a cafe there which is both reasonably priced and has good choices across lost diets. My favourite part though is the glass blowing demonstrations. You can go at anytime and watch the glass blowers working, but its worth going to one of the planned demonstrations as they talk you through what they are doing and on the one I went to they discussed the history or glass blowing on Wearside.

New to me national glass centre telling the history of glass making in the north east. A great half day out. You can watch boats going down the river and sit outside and have a cuppa or walk along the river footpath.

Its 👍

Great place

Glass blowing was very interesting. Don't expect a museum. Good cafe.

Watched pumpkins being glass blown - amazing!

The glass making workshop was brilliant to watch but I didn't see a great deal else inspiring

You should see how they make a shape!!

Interesting place, free parking and a cafe

Glass blowing demo was pretty good. Not loads to see but it is free and the exhibits are interesting. Art, innit?

Visited to view the MA photography exhibition. The ceramic exhibition was good too. All very interesting

Interesting and certainly worth a visit.

Lots of things to see. Great demonstration of glass blowing

I just love visiting here and watching the glass blowing. Just amazing every single time.

Brilliant glass blowers were amazing and very informative lived the demo

(Translated by Google) Very nice museum (Original) Très beau musée

The glass centre is a great couple of hour free visit to somewhere interesting, informative and artistic. Lovely setting on the Riverside with a nice cafe and gift shop.

Lovely Danish and coffee staff were really friendly always makes a difference plus the gift shop have some lovely items could have spent a fortune in there

Great location, place to visit and nice cafe area.

Small but has enough to make it a good experience.

Amazing and so interesting

A nice place to visit i was very impressed

One of the must visit place in Sunderland.The exhibition ,shop and coffee shops are all well organized. Sound of the river flowing and the deck to watch are really good.

It's so tranquil

The glass blowing was very interesting

Keeps the heritage of Sunderland Glass making alive

The demonstrations were brilliant!

Lovely cup of coffee after a long bike ride.

Easy access with wheel chair. Nice food. View of the river.

Interesting and excellent restaurant. Lovely chips.

Enjoyed the old way of waitress service and don't like the new menu or selection of drinks but good meeting place for ladies

Good meal , very pleasant staff

Very nice place

Well worth a visit. Free entry and free parking. Book for the demonstration if possible when you arrive. Nice river views, and cafe on site and small shop selling examples of the type of glass blown on site. Great way to spend a morning.

We loved it, did a stained glass making course, and great value food in the cafe!

Decent place for an outing! Dnt miss the Glass making demo,check website for timing Paid parking Nice coffe house too

Was ok, could of been a little better presented and would of been nice if there was more of there own products in the shop and if the demos were a little more frequent. But apart from that the place was light and open and the staff were very friendly

Fantastic venue for learning all you need to know about the history of glass making in the Northeast. Exhibitions throughout the year celebrate various artists work and how they create and use glass for artwork. Demonstration classes are held on site for people to see for themselves how glass blowing is done. There's also a café on site with views of the river wear. Free parking and free entry to the facilities is a bonus. Always well maintained with pleasant staff to make your visit an enjoyable experience. Great for kids as well as adults.

We had delicious scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and pancakes. Friendly staff. We loved the exhibition with the bead creations. And free or donations!!

Fantastic place, always an interesting exhibition plus the glass blowing demonstrations and of course a super restaurant.

Interesting history of glass in Sunderland and excellent demonstrations. Good cafe and nice to be able to sit outside. Shop not overly exciting. Would visit if in area bit not make a special journey of any distance.

“History and Science of Glass Making in Sunderland and to the World” Living in Sunderland, England for a few months now, I am happy to uncover new things once in a while. Having a long promenade from St. Peter’s Church from AD 647 going to Roker Beach, my friends and I accidentally discover the National Glass Centre. Witnessing the live handmade glass sculpture, souvenir store not limited to glass materials, cafeteria, and overlooking Port of Sunderland are some of the highlights of our visit there. If you want to enrich your mind with history and science of glass making that is easy for your pocket to reach then National Glass Centre is for you. Free admission and donation is welcome to prosper the minds of the young and the like.

No pre booking/ tickets required. Exhibits change regularly. Lovely and interesting place to visit. Shop and cafe downstairs. Activities for children and adults.

Everything about this place is great: the live demonstrations, the modern glass design of the whole centre and the actual installations of glass. The food at the cafe was also great. A good place to go if you are fancying a look around

I spent less than an hour in National Glass Centre. The venue is small but still I saw some stunning art pieces made of glass. Unfortunately, I missed the free glass blowing demonstration, but I didn’t even know they offered one until I got there. It would have been even better if I have timed my visit to see the demo in action.

Awe inspiring art work in the upstairs galleries and a fascinating demonstration of glass blowing in the studio downstairs. We sat and watched with wonder as a gorgeous vase was crafted from blobs of different coloured glass. There's nothing better than watching a master craftsman at work. Set within a beautiful building by the sea this site also holds a delightful gift shop with a range of on-site and off-site produced glass and other items, plus a spacious cafe with an accommodating menu (contained both gluten free and vegan options). I love everything about this place!

Stunning display and fantastic glass blowing display, loved the visit thanks to a lovely lady that I met on the beach at Seaham recommending it, we will definately visit again, the display that is there right now is a must see

We attended for Halloween glass painting on this occasion, have previously come for glass fusion and other craft activities. Staff were friendly and helpful as ever, we enjoyed the craft, completed the trail for some stickers, watched a glass blowing demo, had a drink in the cafe and bought gifts in the shop. Really nice afternoon out as always, highly recommend.

Fabulous. A wonderful collection of glass works, an excellent history of glass in a place where it all started in England, and a shop and restaurant too. What else could you ask for but to be here.

This is a wonderful asset to Sunderland. A beautiful building, now at risk. More importantly, a superb public access to the university, and a window on glass making. Good cafe, and brilliant exhibitions.