PROJECT: MOWBRAY GARDENS
CONSTITUENCY: SUNDERLAND NORTH/SOUTH
LOCAL AUTHORITY: SUNDERLAND
AMOUNT AWARDED: £9,963,000

In recent decades the decline of the mining and ship-building industries has resulted in a complex range of social and economic problems in Sunderland. In many ways the deteriorating state of the Mowbray Gardens was symbolic of this decline.

Originally built in 1857, they were hailed as one of the finest public gardens in the country. The Winter Gardens were added in 1879. Inspired by the design of the Crystal Palace in London, they represented a city proud of its modernity and its industrial achievements, the basis of Sunderland’s prosperity. The Museum and Art Gallery opened in the same year - the first municipal museum to be built outside London.

By the late 1990s, this former glory was hard to detect in a park that had ceased to hold a place in Sunderland’s affections and that was considered unsafe as well as unappealing.

A partnership determined to put life back into the park and the city, was formed between HLF, the City of Sunderland, Northumbrian Water, the Friends of Sunderland Museums and the Wolfson Foundation. Contributions from other project partners, along with the HLF’s grant of £9. 9 million, brought the total project value to £13. 3 million.

A sense of public ownership and pride of place was fostered through an extensive public consultation programme, which resulted in water features, a continental café and a koi carp pool being included in the park restoration plan. Through sensitive planting, path restoration and the removal of some trees that had blocked views of the park’s open spaces, the Victorian themes of open-air recreation and naturalistic landscaping were enhanced.

Other improvements included the reinstatement of the bandstand, fencing, a remodelled lake, construction of a new playground inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, new artworks, and new benches and footpaths. The projects were designed to extend access to all members of the community, with all attractions being accessible to disabled people, as well as those with hearing and visual impairments.

The content of the Museum and Gallery was redesigned to be compatible with the National Curriculum - especially in history, science and art at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. Hands-on and interactive exhibits and video presentations now tell the story of Sunderland’s history from the prehistoric era to the present day. Textiles, pottery, coal and glass - the traditional industries that defined Sunderland’s character and heritage - are celebrated and brought alive for new generations of Sunderland citizens, enhancing a sense of place and local identity.

The Winter Garden, suffered bomb damage during World War II and was the subject of an international RIBA-sponsored architectural competition won by Napper Architects. They enhanced the original structure to produce an eye-catching 28-metre rotunda situated on the lake edge and overlooking the park. Inside, more than 1,500 exotic plants thrive among the water sculpture, streams and rock pools.

With improved signage and entrances, the restored Winter Gardens had over 350,000 visitors in its first six weeks, exceeding the business plan prediction for the whole year. The Museum and Gallery has over 8,000 education-related visits per year and has attracted approximately 800,000 visitors in total.

Mowbray Gardens was one of the most visited attractions outside London in its first year of opening, and the project has created the equivalent of nine full-time jobs. The restored park has made the area a much more attractive place to live, as a result of which new residential development is under way in the vicinity.

Regeneration of Sunderland
The Mowbray Gardens project is part of a wider strategy of regeneration in the heart of Sunderland. Other improvements include retail developments, a new transport interchange, the Tyne and Wear Metro extension, and traffic improvements. HLF continues to contribute to this process through a £600,000 Townscape Heritage Initiative in the Sunniside area of the city, which is matched by a further £1. 2 million from the local authority.

The main focus of this scheme is to secure the repair of historic buildings and bring vacant or underused floorspace back into modern economic use, creating new jobs and homes for local people.