About Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is a regional museum, art gallery and archives service. 

We manage nine museums and galleries across Tyneside and the Archives for Tyne and Wear, attracting around 1 million visits a year. We run these venues and services on behalf of the local authorities of Gateshead, Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, and Newcastle University. 

We are partially funded by these partners and also by Arts Council England (as a National Portfolio Organisation). The rest of our income is generated through our commercial enterprises including our shops, cafes and venue hire, and via fundraising.

From 1 April 2025 Northumberland County Council will join our partnership, and we will manage Woodhorn Museum, Hexham Old Gaol and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum on its behalf.

We care for over 1.1 million objects - many of international importance - in archives, art, science and technology, archaeology, military and social history, fashion and natural sciences.

Our award-winning formal and informal learning activities focus on natural history, local heritage, art, science, technology, engineering and maths and inspire 150,000 children and young people each year.

We work with partners to engage local communities, offering creative activities inspired by our collections to help them to improve their health and wellbeing.

Our Mission is to welcome and connect people to the past, present and future of the North East through stories, shared spaces and experiences.

We will help people understand and act on local and global challenges: 

• Equality – we will provide a warm welcome to everyone, break down barriers caused by inequality and discrimination and share diverse stories.  
• Wellbeing – we will use our spaces and services to support people’s physical and mental health.  
• Social mobility – we will deliver learning experiences, volunteering opportunities and pathways for personal development for people of all ages and backgrounds.  
• Climate – we will raise awareness about the environment and encourage people to act for a sustainable future.  
• Place – we will celebrate North East England, inspire local pride and use our resources to support research, innovation and economic regeneration.