MORE than 10,000 people filed their way through Sunderland's newly-opened winter gardens and museum at the weekend.
Visitor services manager Helen Franklin said last night: "The response from residents was overwhelming. For many, who had known the old winter gardens, which had to be demolished because of bomb damage during the Second World War, it was an emotional experience.
"People in the town have watched the development over the past two years and were keen to see what it looked like inside."
The £10m tropical greenhouse was unveiled as the centrepiece of the city's regeneration project.
The winter gardens is a showcase for more than 1,500 of the world's rarest and most exotic plants, thriving in three different climatic zones. The museum, too, has been transformed with eight new galleries and three old ones redisplayed. Entrance is free
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