A Retrospective
At 3:00pm on Friday 31st. March 2017, Monkwearmouth Station Railway Museum closed its doors for the last time as a railway museum.
Monkwearmouth Railway Station was built in 1848, commissioned by the "Railway King" George Hudson and designed by architect Thomas Moore. Wearsiders used the station for generations, and during World War 2 it was used for wartime evacuees. It closed to passengers in 1967 and eventually acquired by Sunderland Corporation who saved it from becoming derelict. It was re-opened by The Duke of Edinburgh in 1973 as a railway museum.
Between 2005 and 2007, the museum underwent a 1 million pound programme of extensive re-furbishment, including the building of a new wagon shed, the provision of interactive displays, a 'Journeys' gallery and a children's gallery. Visitors could also see main line trains passing by from the viewing gallery. The museum was officially re-opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO on the 16th. May 2008.
The building is Grade2* listed and of particular importance was the restored booking office, dating from the Edwardian period and containing a wealth of historical artifacts. Outside, near the wagon shed, there was also a NER lower quadrant slotted post signal and a NER loading guage - one of the few still remaining. The NER footbridge to the down platform, as well as the platform shelter were still extant at the time of writing (April 2017), although both needed considerable restoration.
The railway museum has closed due to budgetary considerations, linked to poor attendance in the last few years. It is planned to lease the building to a group of volunteers who are hoping to establish a museum dedicated to Sunderland Football Club.
It is believed that some of the contents of the museum may be displayed at The Winter Gardens Museum in the centre of Sunderland.
You can still experience parts of the museum here by clicking on the menu below.
The Edwardian Ticket Office |
The Booking Hall |
The Children's Gallery |
Inside the Wagon Shed |
NER Signal and Loading Gauge |
Trackside Views |