Monkwearmouth is a former railway station that served Monkwearmouth in the English city of Sunderland, from 1848 to 1967. It was built in 1848 to a design by Thomas Moore.[1] and was once the main railway station in the city.[2] The railway station closed in March 1967 and featured a restored booking office dating from the Edwardian period. The station was opened as a museum in 1973.[3]
The Tyne and Wear Metro and mainline trains still pass through the station without stopping, but the Metro calls at St. Peter's station a few hundred yards south of the old station, due to the platforms at Monkwearmouth being too narrow to serve as a Metro station.[citation needed]
The former station is a Grade II* listed building.[4] As well as the ticket office, visitors could explore the Wagon Shed, Journeys Gallery and Children's Gallery.[5]
The museum was temporarily closed from August 2005 until 2007 to allow repairs and refurbishment to take place.[6]
The museum was closed on 23 May 2017 because the roof, footbridge and platforms were claimed to be in a very poor condition, despite a major two-year refurbishment programme in 2005–07. The station has since reopened as the Fans Museum, which houses a collection of football memorabilia from Sunderland and around the world.[7] The museum was closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened in August 2021.[8]
