St Mary's Heritage Centre

St Mary's Heritage Centre is a unique visitor attraction combining art and heritage. It sits high above the River Tyne, close to the Sage Gateshead, and opened on Tuesday 16 December 2008 following a £1.2 million transformation. This work was financed by Gateshead Council, the European Regional Development Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The interior of the Grade-1 listed church was completely stripped out to return it to its former glory. It is now open to the public and runs an extensive programme of exhibitions and activities. This includes the family history section, which is focused on the church and the nearby area.

The centre welcomes visitors to learn more about the history of Gateshead, as well as providing a spectacular venue for events, family history research and educational activities.

St Mary's Heritage Centre also features a series of display panels. These panels tell the fascinating story of Gateshead from its early days as a Roman settlement to modern times.

With historical records and documents relating to St Mary's Church, and a selection of photographs and maps of Gateshead, the Heritage Centre is the perfect place to explore your family history. Their experienced and knowledgeable staff are available to help with all your enquiries.

A wide range of activities are offered regularly, including: 

• children's activities
• concerts and performances
• local history talks
• coffee mornings 

You find out more about forthcoming events and book tickets at www.gateshead.gov.uk/whatson.

Opening hours

Opening hours are subject to change due to private venue hire. We recommend that you contact us prior to your visit.

Due to private events, the centre is closed to the public from 1pm on Saturday 19 May and is closed to the public all day on Saturday 26 May.
We apologise for any inconvenience.

Access and parking

Walking

St Mary's Heritage Centre is approximately a 10 minute walk from Gateshead Transport Interchange.

Public transport

Quaylink buses run up to every 10 minutes during the day and stop directly outside the gates of St Mary's. You can find more details at www.simplygo.com.

Parking

A small number of parking spaces are available for building users with further parking available at other sites nearby.

Accessibility

The car park and interior of the Heritage Centre is fully accessible for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs.

The graveyard is not fully accessible.

Disabled toilets and baby changing are available.