Beamish Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Beamish Museum

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Established	1972
Location	Beamish, Stanley, County Durham, England
Type	Open-air living museum
Collection size	304,000+ objects
Visitors	714,000 in 2016

Beamish Museum is a special kind of museum in County Durham, England. It's called an open-air living museum. This means it shows what everyday life was like in the North East of England a long time ago.

The museum focuses on the early 1900s, especially the Victorian and Edwardian eras. It also shows parts of the countryside from 1825, during the industrial revolution. Beamish is spread across 350 acres (140 ha) of land. It has real buildings that were moved here, copies of old buildings, and lots of old objects. You can also see working vehicles, farm animals, and people dressed in old clothes. These people act like they live in the past and can tell you all about it!

Beamish was one of the first museums to let visitors touch objects. It has won many awards since it opened in 1972. It's a great place to learn about history. The museum also helps protect rare farm animal breeds from the North of England.

Discovering Beamish: A Journey Through Time
Exploring the Museum Site
How Beamish is Run
Museum Areas: Step Back in Time
Museum Collections
Filming Location
Visitor Information
Images for kids
See also

Discovering Beamish: A Journey Through Time

How Beamish Museum Started

The idea for Beamish Museum began in 1958. A man named Frank Atkinson wanted to save the history of the North East. He saw that old industries and ways of life were disappearing. He wanted to create a museum where history would "live."

Atkinson wanted to collect all kinds of everyday items. He asked people to donate anything they had. Soon, he had collected everything from small objects to huge locomotives and even entire shops! These items were stored in different places until a home for the museum was found.

In 1966, the perfect spot was chosen: Beamish Hall. This was an old building that used to belong to the National Coal Board.

Building and Growing the Museum

In 1970, Frank Atkinson became the museum's first director. The museum officially opened to visitors in 1972. The first buildings, like the railway station, were moved and rebuilt here. Trams started running in 1973.

Over the years, many new areas were added. The Town area opened in 1985. The farm opened in 1983. More buildings, like the sweet shop and bank, were added in the 1990s. Even a Georgian-era house, Pockerley Old Hall, opened in 1995.

Famous people have visited Beamish. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother came in 1975. Anne, Princess Royal visited in 2002.

New Additions: Remaking Beamish

Recently, a big project called 'Remaking Beamish' has been adding even more to the museum. This project has brought new exhibits. These include a quilter's cottage and a 1950s area. The 1950s area has a welfare hall, a park, and a bus depot. Soon, there will be more 1950s homes and even a cinema!

Exploring the Museum Site

The museum is built in a valley with lots of trees and a river. Visitors enter through a special archway. This arch is made from a real steam hammer.

You can walk around the museum on marked paths. The tramway also goes around the whole site. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the entrance to the Town. You can ride the trams for free. The museum also has buses you can use. There are also train rides, but these just go back and forth on a short track.

How Beamish is Run

Beamish was the first museum in England to be supported by several local councils. Today, it is run as a charity. It gets help from councils like Durham County Council. The museum earns most of its money from visitor tickets.

Museum Areas: Step Back in Time

The 1913 Town

People dressed in old clothes in the 1913 Town at Beamish Museum.

The Town area shows what a busy town looked like in 1913. It has many buildings from the Victorian era.

Riding the Tramway

The Beamish Tramway is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. It goes all around the museum. Trams started running here in 1973. They show how electric trams helped people travel in growing towns.

Visiting the Bakery

The bakery is called Joseph Herron, Baker & Confectioner. It opened in 2013. You can see working ovens here. They bake food that you can buy! The building came from Annfield Plain.

Checking Out the Motor Garage

The Beamish Motor & Cycle Works opened in 1994. In 1913, not many people owned cars. This garage shows how cars were fixed and sold back then. It has old cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Shopping at the Co-op

The Annfield Plain Industrial Co-operative Society store.

This big shop is called the Annfield Plain Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd. It opened in 1984. It was moved here from Annfield Plain. The shop sells different products. It even has an old system for sending money around the store.

Exploring Ravensworth Terrace

Ravensworth Terrace is a row of terraced houses. They show homes and offices of people from that time. These houses were moved from Bensham Bank. They were built between 1830 and 1845. You can see different styles of homes inside.

Having a Drink at The Sun Inn

The pub, The Sun Inn, opened in 1985. It used to be in Bishop Auckland. This pub is fully working. It has a front bar and a back bar.

Seeing the Town Stables

A carriage and horses leaving the stables.

The town stables show how important horses were for transport. They are like a typical jobmaster's yard. You can see stables and a tack room. Many of the museum's horses live here.

Printing at the Newspaper Office

This building is the Beamish Branch Office for two newspapers. It was built in the mid-1980s. Downstairs, you could buy newspapers. Upstairs, there's a workshop. They print leaflets and posters here. You can see old printing machines working.

Buying Sweets at Jubilee Confectioners

The sweet shop, Jubilee Confectioners, opened in 1994. It shows a typical family-run shop. You can buy traditional sweets and chocolate here. You can also watch how sweets were made.

Visiting the Bank

The Barclays Bank branch opened in 1999. It shows how banks were changing. Many smaller banks were joining bigger ones. You can see the teller windows and the bank manager's office.

The Masonic Hall

The Masonic Hall opened in 2006. It shows how popular the Masons were in the North East. It has a main hall and rooms with displays of Masonic items.

Chemist and Photographer

This building has W Smith's Chemist and JR & D Edis Photographers. It opened in 2016. It shows how photography became popular. Chemists often sold supplies for developing photos. You can even dress up and have your photo taken!

Relaxing at Redman Park

Redman Park is a small grassy area with flowers. It has a Victorian bandstand. This park shows how people needed places to relax away from busy industrial areas.

Railway Station

Rowley station and yard.

East of the Town is the Railway Station. It shows a typical train station from that time. It was run by the North Eastern Railway. You can take short train rides here.

Rowley Station Building

Rowley Station opened in 1976. It was moved from a village called Rowley. The station building is like an Edwardian station. It was lit by oil lamps.

Signal Box and Goods Shed

The signal box is from 1896. It controlled the train tracks. The goods shed shows how cargo was moved by train.

Coal Yard

The coal yard shows how coal was sent from trains to local sellers. It has a special "coal drop." This unloaded coal from train wagons into road wagons.

Waggon and Iron Works

The Waggon and Iron Works shed.

This big building looks like the Beamish Waggon and Iron Works. It's actually a storage area for the museum's collections. It also has sheds for the trains.

Fairground Fun

Next to the station is a fairground. It has old-fashioned rides. You can see steam-powered Gallopers from 1893.

The Colliery

The colliery is called Beamish Colliery. It shows the coal mining industry. Mining was very important in the North East. In 1913, over 165,000 men and boys worked in 304 mines here. It was dangerous work, but miners were paid well. Children could work from age 12.

Deep Mine Buildings

Reconstructed pitworks buildings showing winding gear.

The colliery has tall buildings above ground. These include the Winding Engine House and the Heapstead. They were moved here from other mines. The winding engine pulled miners and coal up and down the mine shaft.

Drift Mine Tours

The Mahogany Drift Mine is a real mine from Beamish. It opened in 1855. You can take a guided tour inside the mine shaft.

Lamp Cabin

The Lamp Cabin opened in 2009. It shows where miners kept their safety lamps. These lamps were very important for safety underground.

Colliery Railways

Coffee Pot No 1 in steam.

The colliery has different railways. One is for moving coal to other places. Another is a smaller railway used inside the mine. You can often see the old steam locomotive, Coffee Pot No 1, working here.

The Pit Village

The pit village shows what life was like in mining communities. These villages grew up around the coal mines.

Miner's Cottages

Miners Cottages.

These six miner's cottages were built in the 1860s. They were moved here from Hetton-le-Hole. They show how mine owners provided homes for workers. You can see how families lived, cooked, and slept. Each cottage shows a different family's story.

Village School

The village school in winter.

The school opened in 1992. It shows a typical school from that time. Going to school was compulsory, but children could leave at age 12. Lessons involved learning by heart.

Pit Hill Chapel

Pit Hill chapel.

Pit Hill Chapel opened in 1990. It shows the Methodist church. Chapels were used for worship and community events. You can see a special window from a chapel in Bedlington.

Davey's Fish and Chip Shop

Inside the chippy.

This fish and chip shop opened in 2011. It shows a typical shop from when fish and chips became popular. It uses old-fashioned coal-fired fryers. The shop is named after a real fish and chip shop.

Hetton Silver Band Hall

The Hetton Silver Band Hall opened in 2013. It shows the important role of colliery bands in mining life. This hall was built in 1912 by a band using prize money.

Pit Pony Stables

The Pit Pony Stables were built in 2013/14. They house the museum's pit ponies. These ponies were used to pull coal wagons in the mines.

The Georgian North (1825)

This area shows the North East in 1825. This was a time of big changes in farming and transport. The main building here is Pockerley Old Hall.

Pockerley Old Hall

Pockerley Old Hall.

Pockerley Old Hall shows the home of a wealthy farmer. The oldest parts of the house are from the 1440s! You can explore the different rooms. These include kitchens and bedrooms. There's even a special place for smoking bacon.

Pockerley Waggonway

The Great Shed of the Pockerley Waggonway.

The Pockerley Waggonway opened in 2001. It shows what railways were like in 1825. This was the year the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened. You can ride on the old trains here.

St Helen's Church

St Helen's Church.

St Helen's Church was moved here from Eston, North Yorkshire. It is the oldest building moved to the museum. Parts of it are from around 1100! It was rebuilt to look like it did in 1822.

Joe the Quilter's Cottage

This cottage opened in 2018. It's a copy of the home of Joseph Hedley, a quilter from the Georgian era. You can learn about quilting and cottage industries. You can also hear the sad story of Joe's murder in 1826.

Home Farm (1940s)

A person dressed in old clothes with a pack horse at the museum.

Home Farm shows life on a North East farm during World War II. It became a 1940s farm in 2014. The farmhouse has been updated with things like an Aga cooker. You can see old tractors and farm equipment.

The cottages on the farm show different wartime uses. One cottage houses a family of evacuees. Another is for members of the Women's Land Army (Land Girls). There's even a special "British Kitchen" that serves food. This was like the public restaurants during the war.

The 1950s Town

The 1950s terrace at Beamish Museum.

As part of the 'Remaking Beamish' project, a 1950s town is being built. The Welfare Hall opened in 2019. It's a copy of a real welfare hall from 1957. You can take part in activities from the 1950s. There's also an exhibition about the National Health Service.

The first 1950s homes opened in 2022. These include a fish and chip shop, a cafe, and a hairdresser's. Soon, there will be a cinema and other shops. A 1950s bus depot has also opened.

Spain's Field Farm

Spain's Field Farm opened in March 2022. This old farm was moved stone-by-stone from Weardale. It shows what a farm was like in the 1950s.

Museum Collections

Beamish has many interesting objects. These include over 300,000 old photographs, books, and oral history recordings. They also have collections of quilts, rag rugs, and old advertising. You can often see demonstrations of quilting and cooking.

Filming Location

Beamish Museum has been used for many films and TV shows. These include dramas like Catherine Cookson and Downton Abbey. Parts of the children's show Supergran were also filmed here.

Visitor Information

When Beamish first opened, it was very popular. The millionth visitor arrived in 1978. It has won awards like "Museum of the Year" in 1986. Beamish is known for making history come alive. It uses people in costumes to share knowledge. This helps visitors connect with history in a special way.

Images for kids

East end of the main street in Town
Beamish Museum.
Pockerley Waggonway
Consett Iron Company tank wagon 41
Kitchen in the Beamish Museum
Bathroom in the Beamish Museum