Trip to The National Glass Centre

We had a trip to The National Glass Centre in Sunderland today - easily accessible by the Metro although the journey takes about an hour each way. We enjoyed the various exhibits of a large variety of glass products, and I surprised my (admittedly rather philistine) self by actually enjoying the exhibition in the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art which is also housed there!

However the highlight of the day was the glassmaking demonstration, so here's some photos of a young student practising her art. The main blip shows her working on a delicate flask of some sort (it didn't get finished as unfortunately at one stage it fell off the blowing tube and crashed onto the floor!). The extras show her working on an elaborate jug which was more successful; the sparks from the cherrywood shaper seen in the second extra were quite impressive.

The Centre was opened in 1998 by the then Prince Charles, its construction being funded by the Lottery. It was taken over in 2010 by Sunderland University but sadly financial problems (seemingly it already requires extensive repair/renovation work) mean it's scheduled to close in July next year. (It has a glass roof which one used to be able to walk on but that's been fenced off for 3 years as the glass is cracking). There's extensive local opposition to the proposed closure but so far the University is sticking to its plan. There is an alternative building which may then house some of the exhibits and works but it won't have the same atmosphere.