A Step Back in Time (Beamish North of England Open Air Museum)

Member Name: ks.h

Product:	Beamish North of England Open Air Museum
Date:	16/09/01 (190 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Something for all the family

Disadvantages: Need dry weather

Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is situated in 300 acres of beautiful countryside just north of Durham City and nine mile south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, it was opened in the 1970s. This is no ordinary museum but a living, working life size experience of how we lived in the 1800s and early 1900s and it has been improved and added to over the years. It offers the elderly the opportunity to remember their long lost childhood and younger people are given an insight into how our parents and grandparents lived.

There is a well laid out pre First World War town where you can wander into the small factory at the back of the sweet shop and watch sweets such at black bullets, aniseed balls, liquorice sticks, gobstoppers, mint humbugs and lolly pops being made: the aromas are mouth watering. Everything made is actually for sale in the shop, unfortunately not at early 1900s prices. Pay a visit to the bank, the haberdashery, the Co-operative store or the ironmongers; wander into the garage and watch the mechanics working on authentic vehicles, call into the doctors or dental surgery and take a look at the equipment used at the time, or call into the local pub for a drink or two in the snug or bar with real coal fire. If you fancy learning to play the piano visit the local music teacher or just wander around the homes of the townsfolk.

On the outskirts of the town you can spend a little time in the park, an ideal setting to enjoy a picnic and if you are lucky you may catch a glimpse of the brass band playing on the bandstand or of some authentically dressed children out with their nannies or parents for an afternoon stroll.

The 1800s railway station is found a little further down from the park; you can go into the signal box, sit in the public waiting room with its roaring coal fire (there is also a ladies only waiting room), visit the station masters house and chat to the station master, enjoy the steam train and savour the smell only stea
m trains have, watch the engine driver, stoker and station porters; it’s like a scene from the film the Railway Children.

Walk over the station stairs and down the lane to the blacksmiths and watch him at work, here you will also find the stables and the dray horses and you can watch the draymen at work preparing the horses and polishing the horse brasses.

There is a working farm with all the animals and tools you would expect to find including traditional breeds of pigs, cattle and poultry, with the men working in the fields with horse drawn ploughs and the women in the farm house or tending the farm yard animals.

Back towards the road to town you come across a Victorian fair ground with merry-go-rounds including swings, horses and shuggy boats, there’s a cocoanut shy, toffee apple stall, a large Wurlitzer organ and other attractions.

In the early 1900s colliery village you can visit the school house and participate in one of the lessons or playground activities such as hopscotch, whip and top or hoop and stick. Call into one of the village houses and watch a quilting, patchwork or clippy mat demonstration, linger in one of the kitchens watching and sampling the home made bread and pastries. Visit the village church, you could be fortunate enough to hear a choir recital or watch the children attending Sunday school. While visiting the village you can also view a traditional gypsy caravan, watch a woodwork demonstration and take a walk down the coal mine and see the little Shetland pit ponies in the field.

Beyond the village you can visit the Pockerley waggonway from the early 1800s and Pockerley Manor, the home of the gentry, complete with butler, chambermaids, cook and scullery maids. You might even see one or two poachers being pursued by the gamekeeper.

The whole of Beamish apart from the farm is on a tram route and you can ride free of charge on the open top trams, the single decker trams, horse
drawn trams or on one of the first omnibuses of its time as often as you wish. The trams and buses stop at all the attractions and run very frequently, although at busy times you might have to queue for quite a while, but all the attractions are within walking distance of each other and the road actually goes around in a circle.

Beamish is constantly being developed and added to, this year alone a tram shelter and large object store have been added and by next summer there should be a Freemasons Hall in the town.

Entrance to Beamish costs £12 for adults, £9 if you are over sixty and £6 for five to sixteen year olds. If you live in the north-east you can join the Friends of Beamish Society for an annual fee of £15 and this gives you free unlimited access to Beamish for yourself and half price entrance for up to three guests, this is a great idea for those living in the region. Most of the attractions at Beamish are easily accessible for those with disabilities and problems with mobility however there are some areas not suitable for those confined to wheelchairs but if you notify Beamish before your visit arrangements are made to assist visitors who may experience problems.

Beamish truly is an informative, educational and enjoyable experience for all age groups, it holds special event weekends and has various exhibitions and demonstrations going on at different times of the year. Last weekend I went to Beamish for a family fun day and admission for the day was only £3. I have enjoyed a day at Beamish when they have held the village school sports day complete with skipping race, egg and spoon race and three-legged race. There are military demonstrations, carnivals and minors rallies. Programme of special events and information can be obtained from the website at www.beamish.co.uk

The aim of Beamish is to preserve the heritage of the North East region in an enjoyable and interesting way. All of the buildings are original and have bee
n painstakingly removed brick by brick from their original sites and rebuild and restored at Beamish, they are authentically furnished and decorated. If you are ever in the area Beamish is one place well worth a visit, you can easily spend all day there and return a couple of days later to experience something totally different however Beamish is an open air museum and a visit to Beamish is probably best kept for a dry day. It really is a great day out for all the family and an opportunity to take a step back in time.

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