24 Hour Museum - official guide to UK museums, galleries, exhibitions and heritage
Gateway to Over 3,000 UK museums, galleries and heritage attractions
Skip to navigation
Imagine That! Tyne And Wear Collections Go Online
By Caroline Lewis
23/09/2004
Image: Shows a picture of the Imagine homepage, which has a menu and a large picture of a butterfly.
What will you search for today? Sifting through the enormous Tyne & Wear Museum collections is fun and easy on IMAGINE.
Johnny Ball has helped to launch a terrific new website, which allow users to access 15,000 images of objects and paintings from museums and galleries in the North East.
The TV personality, famous for presenting educational programmes (as well as being Zoe’s dad), tested out IMAGINE (Images, Museums and Galleries In the North East) at the Laing Gallery in Newcastle on September 23.
IMAGINE lets users virtually enter 11 museums in Tyne & Wear, and search for objects relating to archaeology, art and natural history. The online museum contains not only items that are on display in the museums, but also many more that are kept in the vaults.
History trails aren't just for the 24 Hour Museum. Learn about historical jewellery from the comfort of your computer desk with one of the special adventures on IMAGINE.
Alec Coles, director of Tyne & Wear Museums, said: “IMAGINE provides instant access to rare, fantastic and, of course, everyday objects.
“By using Tyne & Wear Museum’s collections the IMAGINE website will bring the evidence of the North East’s culture and identity into homes, offices and schools across the world at the touch of a button,” he continued.
So, visiting in person is no longer necessary to see maritime artefacts from the Discovery Museum, paintings from the Laing Gallery and stuffed animals from the Hancock Museum (though still thoroughly recommended!). Images of objects and paintings from Sunderland Museum, the Shipley Art Gallery, and from key World Heritage Collections at Roman Forts Arbeia and Segedunum are also available to explore.
Letting IMAGINE do the search for you comes up with some very interesting results, like this Nigerian cap made from grass!
The website is brilliantly user-friendly, with the option of zooming in on images so that every detail of an artefact can be studied. See the feather structure of a turtle dove from the Hancock collection or examine brushstrokes on a Canaletto from the Shipley!
The search facility lets users be as specific or as general as they like, with the unusual bonus of being able to sketch the object to be searched for instead of using words, while an interactive adventure section provides a really fun way to explore and learn about things like Egyptian jewellery and 1930s family life.
As in a museum, there is also the option to browse leisurely – just ask the website to display objects at random to learn about unexpected crafts, vessels and stone tablets.
Features to make the website accessible for everyone are also included, such as British Sign Language introductions.
Run wild at www.imagine.org.uk, which has been made possible by the Big Lottery Fund.
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear Museums)
New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AG, Tyne & Wear, England
T: 0191 232 7734
Open: Monday to Saturday 10 - 5
Sunday 2 - 5
Closed: Chrismas Day and Boxing Day
Shipley Art Gallery (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Shipley Art Gallery , Prince Consort Road, Gateshead, NE8 4JB, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Mon-Sat 1000-1700
Sun 1400-1700
Closed 25 26 December 1 January & Good Friday
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens , Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR1 1PP, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Mon - Sat 1000-1700
Sun 1400-1700
Great North Museum
Barras Bridge, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE2 4PT, Tyne & Wear, England
Closed: The Hancock Museum closed its doors to the public on Sunday 23 April 2006 to begin its transformation as part of the Great North Museum - an exciting and innovative world-class visitor attraction designed for the 21st century. The new Museum opens in 2009.
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery (Tyne and Wear Museums)
Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Easter to September: Monday to Saturday 10.00-17.30, Sunday 13.00-17.00
October to Easter: Monday to Saturday 10.00-17.00, Closed Sunday
Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, Baring Street, South Shields, NE33 2BB, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Easter-End September
Mon-Sat 1000 - 1730
Sun 1300-1700
October-Easter
Mon-Sat 1000-1600
Closed Sun
Closed: Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day
Stephenson Railway Museum (Tyne and Wear Museums)
Stephenson Railway Museum, Middle Engine Lane, North Shields, NE29 8DX, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: April - October 2008: Sat & Sun, 11.00-16.00
21 July - 31 August 2008: daily, 11.00-16.00
25 Oct - 2 November 2008: daily, 11.00-16.00
14 - 22 Feb 2009: daily, 11.00-16.00
Santa Specials (6-7 Dec, 13-14 Dec, 20-21 Dec): Bookings only.
Washington 'F' Pit Museum (Tyne and Wear Museums)
Washington 'F' Pit Museum , Albany Way, Washington, NE37 1BJ, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Seasonal opening hours. Please contact 0191 553 2323 for further details.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum (Tyne and Wear Museums)
Monkwearmouth Station Museum, North Bridge Street, Sunderland, SR5 1AP, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: The museum is now closed for an extensive restoration and redevelopment programme. When it re-opens in 2007, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of exciting new displays and activities in a refurbished, accessible museum.
Discovery Museum (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JA, Tyne & Wear, England
T: 0191 232 6789
Open: Monday to Saturday 10-5
Sunday 2-5
Closed: Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum , Buddle Street, Wallsend, NE28 6HR, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: 1 April to 31 October: Monday to Sunday 10.00-17.00
1 November to 31 March: Monday to Sunday 10.00-15.00
Closed: 25 & 26 December and 1 January
Related Articles
News In Brief - Week Ending August 31 2008
Shipley Art Gallery Analyses The Melancholy Mind
Summer 2008 Holiday Ideas At UK Heritage Sites And Museums
MGM Commendations - The Best Of May 2008
North East Architecture Festival To Inspire Public And Professionals
Collecting Cultures - HLF Announces Grants For Acquisitions
Rail Minister Launches Railway Heritage Consultation Paper
E-news registration
E-mail story to a friend
Tell us what you think
Anson Engine Museum Displays The Award Winning JCB Dieselmax
News In Brief - Museums, Galleries And Heritage News
Mountain Rescue Gear Moves Star Mummy To Leeds' New Museum
Holocaust Survivors Help Imperial War Museum Launch New Holocaust Art Exhibition
Museums Libraries And Archives Get Cultural Olympiad Off To Flyer
Volunteers Looking For Stone Circle Uncover Roman Fort In Cumbria
New Darwin Centre Set To Welcome 2,500 Visitors Per Day
County Durham Launches Peace And Tranquility Week
Disability And Deaf Arts Get A Boost At 2008 DaDaFest International
3,500 Properties Open Doors To Public For Heritage Open Days 2008
British Library Acquires Dering Roll - A Who's Who Of Medieval Arms
The Rolling Stones Tongue And Lips Logo Acquired By The V&A
Nominations Open For Art Fund Prize For Museums And Galleries 2009
Belfast's Ulster Museum On Track For Dramatic New Rooftop Gallery
Brighton Art Gallery Stunned As US Artist Broken Crow Is Deported
Treasures Of National Media Museum To Be Posted On Flickr
Missing Brontë Letter Returns To The Brontë Museum In Haworth
Danish Artists Create Life-Size Walking House For Wysing Arts Centre Near Cambridge
Search this site
Home Page
News Page
Exhibition Page
What's On
Trails Page
Website of the Week
Letters Page
Welsh Home
Graphical Version
Copyright © 24 Hour Museum
Information published here was believed to be correct at the time it was prepared. Welsh language pages developed with CYMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.