First opened in 1977, the Side Gallery closed in 2015 to allow the £1.1million scheme, supported by HLF, to go ahead.

The historic building is now fully accessible with a brand new library, study centre and exhibition space. Enhanced facilities will enable conservation, archiving and research to continue and outreach work with schools and local communities is proudly displayed in a dedicated social area.

Digital access to the collection is also being transformed.

More than 10,000 images and 3,500 minutes of film will be made accessible online including a wealth of historical and contemporary documentary photographs, films and slides. The redesign and rebuild of AmberOnline website will enable visitors to explore the rich network of connections between the different films and photographic bodies of work.

Dating back to 1968, the collection has over 20,000 photographs, 10,000 transparencies and 100 films and videos which document working class and marginalised lives and landscapes in North East England.

[quote= Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East]"Documenting the lives of communities in the North East over the last 40 years, the AmberSide collection is of significant local, national and international importance."[/quote]

Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, said: “Documenting the lives of communities in the North East over the last 40 years, the AmberSide collection is of significant local, national and international importance.

“Even more people will now have the opportunity to learn about key moments in our history, including the decline of industry along the Tyne in the 1970s, the redevelopment of Newcastle in Byker and images of Durham’s mining communities.”

The reopening of the Side Gallery also saw the launch of the CHILDHOODS exhibition. Curated from the AmberSide Collection and new work, the exhibition will explore the lives of children from the North East and from the wider world across four decades and a range of themes.

The gallery is free to enter and open on Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm. Read more on the gallery website.