Beamish Open Air Museum – The Living History of North England

The Beamish Open Air Museum is best of interactive living history that England’s North has to offer. We have been to so many museums over the last three or four years. Even before we started full-time travel we have witnessed our fair share of history being put under glass. At Beamish, however, history is alive and not only can you see it, but you can touch it, talk to it and interact with it. With a vault full of artefacts that are used to lead its visitors into some sort of time warp, we knew it was going to be a good day out. From the moment you walk through the entrance, you are transported back in time to a series of fully functioning snippets of history.  You could easily spend two full days experiencing everything that Beamish has to offer.  We only had one day there, but we wanted so much more time to soak in the atmosphere and experiences on offer.

With two staff members dressed in period clothing, standing at the entrance ready to welcome you, you know you are going to be walking straight into the past. As we entered the museum we found ourselves in a charming room that becomes the introduction to life in the 19th and 20th centuries.  A number of artefacts and information sources line the room and provide a great beginning to the Beamish experience.

Once out in the open, there are several directions you can go. It is quite a big place but getting around Beamish is easy.  There are 3 choices on hand for you: Feet, Tram or Bus.  If walking is your thing you can easily get from place-to-place by strolling along the provided paths.  Alternatively, give your feet a rest and be taken back in time as you roll around Beamish in a traditional double-decker tram or a replica Edwardian Motor Bus.  Each part of Beamish has it’s own tram stop and bus stop.  Each beautifully restored tram and bus have its own conductor and driver to assist passengers to embark and disembark.  Trams and buses run on very regular schedules so it’s never more than 5 or 10 minutes between services.  We loved the rides and actually spent some time doing a lap of the full circuit just to soak it all in.

Whilst all of Beamish is amazing and worth spending time in, there were a few places that quickly became our favourites!  The 1900s Pit Village Colliery and the 1900s town were simply incredible.  The Colliery takes you through what life was like for miners and their families in the early 1900s and displays a lot of information about Durham’s coal mining history.  Venturing into the draft mine gave us an experience of what underground mining conditions were really like. We also loved seeing the working railway network and visit the functioning engine house to see the 1855-built steam winding engine. The sight and smell of the old steam engine sitting in the engine shed was quite amazing. We had time to really have a good look at the engine and the guys working there.

Travel tip: Remember that the draft mine is by guided tour only and this is a very popular place to visit so there are often lines with a short waiting time.

Just next door to the Colliery is the 1900s Pit Village which shows the life of the coal miners and their families.  The chapel was definitely worth the wander through, but our favourite was the coal miner’s houses.  When we went through, there were some lovely ladies doing some quilting and they were only too happy to show the kids and us how the women of the time would turn old worn out clothing into rugs for the bed or the floor.

Davy’s Fried Fish Shop, in the 1900s Pit Village, is perfect for some traditional fish and chips.  Alternatively, there was the Sinker’s Bait Cabin for snacks and bakery goods.  We packed our own thermos and stuff to make sandwiches, and we sat at the picnic seats outside the Sinker’s Bait Cabin. Our thermos had gotten quite cold (it had been dropped and the seal wasn’t working brilliantly), so we went into the Sinker’s Bait Cabin and asked if we could get some hot water, which they were only too happy to supply. They were super helpful.

Part two of the must-see list at the Beamish Museum is the 1900s town.  This place is truly like a whole other world! As you walk down the high street of a village there is so much to see and do here.  Dad’s best pick is the bakery.  They bake everything in-house using traditional wood ovens and original recipes.  We totally recommend the dark ginger cake.  The delicious smells emanating from the bakery are enough to get any mouth watering. The lovely bakers are always happy to have a chat about baking methods from the 1900s.

What visit to town would be complete without a trip to the sweet shop?  You know you are onto something good when there is a line just to get in!  Serving a range of all of the traditional sweets you can think of, the sweet shop is full of sugary treats, many of which are made onsight right before your eyes.   Mum & Daughter went out the back of the sweet shop and saw the big sugar vat and sweet rollers – it was sickly sweet but warm and cosey in the kitchen. With a handful of red handmade boiled sweet samples, we made our way over to the Pharmacy.

W Smith’s Chemist is a treasure trove of 1900 remedies, salves and concoctions that will cure anything that ails you.  Pop in to get some 1900s style medical advice – which seemed to largely revolve around herbs, weird tinctures and salts.

The Barclays Bank branch was fascinating. We spoke to the teller for quite a long time about average wages and (because we had just been to the dentist’s house just up the street) the cost of dental treatment back in the 1900s. The daughter was quite fascinated with the cost of getting to Australia in the early 1900s. The teller put in her hand the weekly wage, and then took out the living costs. Then he explained what the meagre amount that remained could be spent on. We also got to see the ledgers, and then went downstairs to visit the vault!  Is your handwriting neat enough to be able to work in the bank?  We tried our hand at writing with ink and quill, but I don’t think we were neat up to get a job.

Our other favourites from the 1900s village were the print shop, the coop store and the Masonic Hall. If there was a job where I got paid to live there, as they lived in the 1900s, I would be there with bells on (except I would want modern day medical/dentistry – that 1900s dental house was a bit ghoulish).

The Village, Colliery and Pit Village were the only places we got to see in our 6 hours at the museum. It is easy to see how you could spend two days there!

Our experience ended with a trip to the gift shop where we picked up a few souvenirs (the normal – bookmark, keyring, guidebook, plus some great little old-fashioned toys, and a spot of Yorkshire Red Onion Chutney).  We wanted more time at Beamish and we will certainly be going back very soon.  Our family absolutely loved every minute of being there. We will be going back soon to go to the Beamish at Christmas event (the launch parade is this Saturday, November 18th).

Plus there is all this to come!

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We were gifted a family pass to the Beamish Open Air Museum in exchange for an honest review.