Head north to Beamish for an industrial age experience never to be forgotten.

/ Beamish museum/

Take a time machine trip back to the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian times as well as World War Two, at Beamish,”the living museum of the North”.

IMG_8884.JPG

Pay for a day but go for a year.

With so much to do, one day’s entry fee translates into returning as many times as you want for an entire year. Enthusiastic and knowledgable staff, in period costume appropriate to their venue, enhance your experience by demonstrating what life was like. Many visitors leave Beamish with the view that they needed four days, not one to get the complete experience and vow to take advantage of the free return ticket before the year is out. A full day can involve rides on trams, trains and buses, visits to sweet shops, a bank, a grocer’s store, a pit village with miners cottages a school and a 1940’s farm to name but a few! For an extra fee, adults can enjoy extra experiences such as driving the colliery railway locomotive and blacksmithing as well as experiencing war time cookery in the 1940’s Farm Kitchen. Beamish’s “Period Food Team” state that they will “teach you everything you need to know to make a selection of delicious, traditional sweets and treats including cinder toffee, coconut delights, rum truffles and sweetmeats.”

Loads of different rides can be experienced as many times as you like and all in the one entry fee

Loads of different rides can be experienced as many times as you like and all in the one entry fee

IMG_8918.JPG

Experience shopping in bygone days in authentic shops

Beamish is not simply about looking at historically accurate and decorative shop windows, you can go in and actually buy real sweets with exchanged “old money”. Look at the array of unpackaged sweets that are on sale. Anyone over sixty will remember such treats as “humbugs” and waiting as the jar is brought down from the shelf and the sweets weighed out into a paper bag. You an also see how these sweets were made.

IMG_8919.JPG
IMG_8893.JPG

In the Co-op store you can witness life before supermarkets.

Far from filling your trolley, everything would be ordered verbally from the grocer who would reach up and put each item on the counter. If you look at the drawers behind the till, you can see that people would have purchased loose herbs and spices that would be scooped into a bag and weighed. Some people suggest that this method should return to avoid the vast amounts of packaging that we use and throw away today. You can also see that this was before frozen and chilled food, as well as foreign fruit such as peaches, nectarines etc. Ordinary people would open a can of fruit for their dessert.

IMG_8892.JPG



IMG_8890.JPG
IMG_8889.JPG

You are taken back to a time before washing machines.The clothes were put in the metal tub along with soap and then the wooden pole (washing dolly) is twisted around by hand to wash away the dirt, a very exhausting and lengthy job. The wet clothes are then rinsed to get rid of all the soap suds before being squashed between two wooden rollers. The rollers (mangle) would be turned around to squeeze the water out of the clothes by turning the large wheel on the right hand side. You can see why they referred to washing days because the process for the whole family’s clothes would take a very exhausting, whole day!

IMG_8997.JPG
IMG_8974.JPG

Away from the shops you can visit a Pit Village, the reconstructed terrace of miners’ cottages and Rowley railway station.

Below you can see how their houses, or at least the main room, would be kept warm by an Aga type device that was a heater, a cooker and a warmer of the flat iron used to iron clothes. It would heat water to go in a tin bath which the whole family would use one after the other.

IMG_8979.JPG
Going to the toilet was a very different experience.

Going to the toilet was a very different experience.

Essential information.

Under the government’s COVID-19 national lockdown, the museum is currently closed.

We plan to reopen our outdoor areas only from 12th April 2021, under Step 2 of the government’s COVID-19 roadmap. (This is subject to the government timeline for the easing of lockdown restrictions.) ALL visitors will need to pre-book an entry timeslot online in advance of their visit, including Friends of Beamish members and Beamish Unlimited Pass holders.

Website

http://www.beamish.org.uk

Getting there;

By road;

From the North and South – Follow the A1M to Junction 63 (Chester-le-Street exit), then the A693 towards Stanley for 4 miles, following the signs.

From the West – Take the A68 to Castleside, near Consett, and follow the Beamish Museum signs along the A692 and A693 via Stanley.

Sat-nav users – our postcode is DH9 0RG.

By bus;

Waggonway service 28/28A offers regular buses from Newcastle City Centre, Gateshead, Birtley, Ouston and Chester-le-Street. Buses run every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes and hourly in the evening and on Sundays. Connections with other bus, train or metro services can be made in Newcastle, Gateshead and Chester-le-Street.

Coast & Country service 8 runs every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday from Sunderland Interchange, via Washington, Chester-le-Street and Stanley.

The Go North East bus app
Buy tickets, see where your bus on a live map, find your nearest bus stop and plan your journey. The Go North East bus app is essential for anyone travelling in and around the region. Available on Apple and Android devices.  http://smarturl.it/gne

Travel to Beamish Museum on any Go North East bus and get 25% discount on a standard individual admission charge.

By rail;

The closest train station to Beamish Museum is Chester-le- Street, TransPennine Express run regular direct train services to Chester-Le-Street from Newcastle, Durham and Darlington. Save over 50% on train ticketswhen you book in advance with tpexpress.co.uk.

Once you arrive at Chester-le-Street there are regular bus services from the town centre to Beamish Museum which takes approx. 15 – 20 minutes.

Tickets

For current ticket information and booking go to the Beamish website. http://www.beamish.org.uk

Follow us on social media

Articles that may interest you

Featured
Front Vs 2.jpg
Durham Cathedral; discover this magnificent cathedral, its treasures, St Cuthbert, the Venerable Bede and the Anglo-Saxon World.

Durham Cathedral is a very special building for a number of reasons to the extent that the author, Bill Bryson wrote it was “the best cathedral on Planet Earth.” Building began in 1093 and was to take 40 years to complete. If you are in the North-East of England, it should be number one on your list of places to visit. It is a good example of Romanesque architecture with its rounded or semi-circular arches, typical of architecture under the Normans (Norman castles have these arches too). When built it was Britain’s tallest building and must have amazed onlookers at a time when buildings were mainly made out of wood with wattle and daub walls and a thatched roof. It is home to the shrine of St Cuthbert, on of England's most important saints and the Venerable Bede.

chimney 5.jpg
The Coventry Doom Painting. One of the top doom paintings in Britain

It is debatable which is the best doom painting in Britain but it is not debatable that the doom painting at Holy Trinity Church Coventry is one of the best. The Art Historian and documentary maker, Graham Andrew Dixon wrote on his website, “The picture must be counted one of the most important discoveries to have been made in the field of medieval art.” He adds, “it is a vigorously scary depiction of the moment when the Last Trump shall sound, painted in a crude but bold style and teeming with fascinating and unusual detail. It is hard to think of a more potent relic of English fifteenth-century dread.”

Nearly Full doom.jpg
The Wenhaston Doom Painting. A magnificent, highly colourful doom, with clear images that are easy to interpret.

The old phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” is very appropriate when looking at the magnificent Wenhaston doom painting. In the medieval world where few people could read, a painting of the events of the “Last Judgement” would carefully show what was going to happen to souls when the world would come to an end. This would guide people to manage their lives to ensure a wonderful future. The picture of Hell left no one in doubt that sinners would have a horrible future. The doom painting at Wenhaston is in remarkable condition with very little missing or incomprehensible.

32e2954f-0bbc-4717-ad94-685a0fdefe19.JPG
Exploring the enigmatic Medieval wall paintings of the quaint "All saints Church", Little Kimble.

All Saints has been described as a “charming jewel of a church adjacent to the beautiful Chilterns’ countryside”. Once inside, one look at the walls demonstrates why it has been given this description. Star of the paintings is a virtually complete St George, St John the Evangelist and St James. Others are not quite so clear but with a little effort and time, various features from the stories of other saints can be interpreted can be recognised. An example of this is St Francis of Assisi, who can be identified by the presence of birds. There are also six medieval tiles and clues that show that the Church was built in two distinct phases.

Church exterior.jpg
St Mary's Church North Leigh, is a treasure trove for medievalists with a doom painting, a Knight's effigy, medieval stained glass, some fan vaulting, and a Saxon tower.

St Mary’s Church North Leigh, on the outskirts of the Cotswolds and north-west of Oxford, is a fascinating place to visit. To me, the star of the show is a wonderful doom painting which, unlike many, is in good condition. Medieval parishioners participating in services would have no doubt what awaited them when the inevitable happened and they died. The three panels of their doom painting left it very clear. Only a 10 minute drive away is another incredible doom painting at South Leigh. St Mary’s can also boast of a chantry chapel with fan vaulting, a knight’s effigy with links to the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses and a Saxon tower.

Full Doom.jpg
South Leigh Medieval Doom Painting's Vision of the Last Judgement. Were they going to Heaven's gates of Hell's fires?

South Leigh doom painting north west of Oxford is a great example of what medieval people were expected to believe. Unlike some paintings with large areas lost, this doom painting is clear and easy to understand. At the Last Judgement, souls are summons from graves and decision are made as to their future. Heaven, on the left as the observer sees it, welcomes all sorts but likewise Hell on the right, also welcomes kings, queens, bishops and a whole variety of sinners. The devils surrounding Hell look gruesome as does a monster with a large, gaping mouth coming out of Hell to catch them. Allied to the doom painting is a medieval wall painting of St Michael weighing souls to see who goes to heaven and who has sinned so much that they will end up in Hell. Again, various Devils are in the painting and in this case trying to influence the decision. Also at South Leigh is a wall painting of St Clement and a painting of the “Seven Deadly Sins”.

IMG_8036.jpeg
Warriors and Castles: Warkworth Castle, Shakespeare's Harry Hotspur and the mighty Percy family in the Wars of the Roses.

Life in medieval times in the north-east of England was one full of danger with a constant threat of war. Viking raids, as well as raids from Scotland, were a regular problem and from time to time kings of England came to this area to consolidate their power. Warkworth was owned by the powerful Percy family for over 600 years who preferred it to the much larger Alnwick castle. The Percy’s were renowned for taking some poor decisions in dynastic wars and losing their lives as well as their properties and titles. One Percy known as “Harry Hotspur” became a popular knight and has been remembered over the years for featuring in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part one.

Open 1.jpg
The D Day Series. "Beyond the Battlefields: Embracing the Peaceful Aura of Bayeux War Cemetery"

Completed in 1952 and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this peaceful cemetery is the last resting place for 4144 named Commonwealth (the UK and former British Empire) soldiers and 338 unidentified ones. Added to this, are 500 graves of soldiers from other countries, the majority being German. It is a fascinating place to visit and observe all the different headstones and some of the stories they tell. The cemetery provides a solemn and peaceful atmosphere, with meticulously maintained rows of white headstones bearing the names of those who fell in the line of duty.

Opening photo La Cambe.jpg
The D day series. Honouring sacrifice; A Journey through the Graves of German Soldiers in Normandy's La Cambe".

The German cemetery at La Cambe is a stark contrast to the American Cemetery at Colleville and the British Cemetery at Bayeux. Both are nearby and all three are well worth a visit. It is much smaller than Colleville, being 16.5 acres compared to Colleville’s 172.5 but contains 21 222 soldiers whilst Colleville has 9380 servicemen. However, what stands out the most is that Colleville allocates one white cross per soldier, Bayeux has one quite large white/beige headstone per soldier, whereas, La Cambe has two bodies per stone. Furthermore, each stone is small, flat on the ground and is grey in colour.

IMG_5189.JPG
The D Day Series. Storming the cliffs; Pointe du Hoc's Legendary Raid and the Men Who Conquered It.

When planning the D Day invasion, it was imperative to take out the the six 155mm guns at the top of Pointe Du Hoc. These massive guns were 4 miles (6.5) km) from the centre of Omaha Beach and 7 miles (11km) from Utah beach . They had a range of 15 miles (25km) and so both of the American landing beaches were easily within their range. This post is about the incredible bravery of the Rangers in climbing 100 feet cliffs, whilst under attack and successfully taking out the various gun emplacements at the top. However, the expected six large guns had disappeared!