Beamish Museum – 20 Reasons You’ll Want To Visit

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Life without the internet, electric heating, or even a toilet in your house. It’s hard to imagine now, but there was once a simpler time when none of these things existed. Which is why a visit to Beamish Museum in County Durham is such an interesting day out.

Growing up in the 1800s and early 1900s was no doubt hard. In the North East of England it was all about working in the coal mines, and making ends meet through improvisation and sheer determination. Experience the good and the bad for yourself at this amazing living museum.

What is Beamish Museum?

Beamish Museum is a living museum where you can really feel like you’ve been transported back 100 years or more. Walk the cobble stone streets into the past and take a tram ride through history.

Each old building was moved brick by brick from their original location and rebuilt into this open air museum that now feels like any number of towns and villages in the region. If you ever wanted to learn more about England in the 19th and early 20th Century Beamish Museum is the place to go.

The staff who work there all dress up in the clothes of the times and there are even volunteers who join in. You’ll see them walking around the village, or driving various original vehicles ranging from traction engines, trucks, double decker buses and even a couple of Ford Model T cars.

Where is Beamish Museum?

Beamish Museum is in the village of Beamish, County Durham. It’s a short 20 minute drive North from the city of Durham, and about 30 minutes South from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. There’s also lots of free parking at the museum.

Being from Northern England I’ve visited Beamish lots over the years – from school trips to personal visits. My aunt and uncle even live in the village so it’s a favorite place to visit when visiting them.

Admission prices are close to £20 for adults, and £12 for children, but your ticket gives you access for an entire year. So if you live locally you can go again and again with no additional charge.

Book your tickets in advance to make sure you don’t miss out. During the pandemic a timed entry ticket has been required so advanced bookings are the only way to visit.

What can you do at Beamish Museum?

This is not the kind of museum you can get around in an hour. It’s literally a village, and is spread out over 350 acres. So plan accordingly with comfy shoes, plenty of snacks and lots of time.

Spend at least 3-4 hours to make it worth the visit, but you can easily spend the whole day too. So what can you see at Beamish Museum?

Take a bus or tram ride

Get around Beamish Museum in style on a turn of the century tram, or a classically British double decker bus. Since Beamish is quite far for some people to walk from the entrance to the various points around the village, the transport options are perfect.

Even if you are able to walk, at least take a short ride on one of these old buses or trams. Not keen on being inside? No problem, many of the vehicles have outdoor seating options too.

Ride the rails on a steam train

Why yes, Beamish does have its very own station – complete with steam train. Check out the Edwardian railway station which has never had electricity and is lit by oil lamps. See what a working station looks like and take a short return ride on the steam train.

Top Tip: The steam train operates on a limited basis, only weekends and holidays usually. But even without the train ride, the station is worth a visit.

Experience life on the farm

Cows, pigs and sheep as well as other farmyard animals can be found at the 1940s Home Farm. Find out why the farms were so important during the wartime era, and the food they produced to feed the nation. You’ll see some of the farm’s tractors and other vehicles used around that time, and can even explore the farm cottage.

Go back to school

Not an iPad in sight at this school. Wooden desks, the smell of chalk on huge blackboards, and traditional schoolyard games outside. That’s what’s waiting for you at the village school. Your kids might also find it interesting that there are separate Boys and Girls entrances to the school.

Work the mines

Anyone got a canary? The mining business was dangerous work, but during the 19th and 20th Century the industry dominated England’s North East. Anyone aged 12 or older could be employed in various mine jobs.

Beamish Museum displays much of the equipment and vehicles used in early 1900s mining. Before your visit check if the mine is open for guided tours, as this is a great way to see what it was really like in the underground pits.

Enjoy a pint in the pub

Mining was laborious work, so a pint of beer at the end of the day was the perfect way to unwind. Thankfully you don’t have to work a shift in the mines to enjoy a pint of this pub’s finest lager or cider. The pub dates back to the early 1800s, and you can either sit inside or take your drinks across the street to the lovely park.

Learn about life in the early 1900s

Visit the bank, or the newspaper offices. See wagons, horse carts and bicycles that would have been used at this time. Bonus points if you can spot the Penny Farthing bike in the village. Talk to the shopkeepers or other people walking around the village who will tell you what it was really like living in the early 1900s.

Treat yourself to some sweets

No visit to Beamish Museum is complete without spending all your allowance at the sweet shop. Possibly my favorite part of Beamish. Buy some traditional English boiled sweets, chocolates and chewy candy. You can almost hear your mother tell you that they’ll “rot your teeth”.

Top Tip: Visit the back of the shop and watch the sweet making process. The sickly sweet smells emanating from there will have you almost imagining your dentist chastising you on your next visit.

Visit the dentist

Best not eat too many sweets – or if you do, don’t worry there’s a dentist nearby. Not one you would really want to visit though if you had a choice. With some scary tools and contraptions, and a chair that looks like it’s on loan from Sweeney Todd, see how a 1900s visit to the dentist would have been.

Top Tip: Keep an eye out for some teeth-related décor around the rooms.

Relax in the park

Across from the businesses of Ravensworth Terrace, and the hustle and bustle of main street Beamish, is the picturesque Redman Park. Brought lunch with you? Set up on the grass for a picnic. Or relax in the Victorian bandstand in the middle of the park watching the old trams click-clack along the tracks through the town.

Go shopping early 20th Century style

Got your ration book? While we’re lucky enough to not need one now, it’s interesting to see how this impacted shopping last century. Find out what you could and couldn’t buy back then, and what modern items of the times were. Buy some incredibly hand made toiletries at the chemist or buy something from one of the street stalls.

Have fun at the fairground

Ride the carousel, have a go on the helter skelter slide, or try your hand at some fun traditional fairground games. Maybe you’ll even win a stuffed bear or two. There are fairground treats to be purchased too including a delicious 99 Ice Cream (that’s an ice cream with a flake in it for you non-Brits).

Wander around some traditional homes

Like an early 20th Century open house there are traditional homes to wander through. From the home-based businesses on Ravensworth Terrace to the Pit Village houses by the coal mine, walk through the houses that time forgot. It’s interesting to see how many household items were handmade – check out the blankets and crocheted clothing on display.

Spot some amazing vintage outfits

One of the best things about Beamish Museum is that all the staff are dressed up for the time period they work in. Whether you’re at the 1940s farm, the 1820s Pockerley Hall and Gardens, or in the 1900s town. See how many interesting vintage outfits you can spot.

Top Tip: Head over to the photography studio in the town to try on some outfits yourself and get some pictures taken.

Admire some antique cars

The cars being driven around Beamish Museum are insanely cool. And with the drivers in historic clothes it’ll feel like you’ve entered The Great Gatsby. Sometimes they’ll even have the cars on the village green so you can take a closer look. Keep an eye out for various vehicles around the village – you might even spot a Ford Model T car.

Eating at Beamish Museum

Beamish has lots of food options – and not just the sweet shop. As well as all the treats you can get your hands on there, why not visit the Tearoom for some proper food. Serving hot and cold meals, drinks and cakes this is a great place for lunch. Sit in the tearoom or take your food to the adjacent park to enjoy al fresco.

The pub across the street also has a few sandwiches and other quick snacks – and something stronger if you prefer. Around the corner is the bakery with delectable treats that are worthy of the line to get in – arrive early before they sell out.

Closer to the mine and the Pit Village there’s every Brit’s favorite takeaway – the fish and chip shop. They use traditional coal fired cooking ranges so it’s as authentic as they come. Vegetarian note: They use beef dripping for their food so there aren’t vegetarian (or gluten free) options here.

Why you should visit Beamish Museum

All of the fun activities available should probably have convinced you to visit Beamish Museum. But if they didn’t then I will say that this is a unique place to visit.

There aren’t many other places where you can really visit a town from over 100 years ago instead of just seeing pictures. Where you can see the daily activities of people from back then instead of just reading about them.

It’s a great place for kids, but also a wonderful experience for adults. If you’re spending some time in the UK, or from there and looking for something new to do, a trip to Beamish Museum is the perfect day trip.

Top Tip: Looking to extend your trip? Plan to spend time in the city of Durham which is just beautiful. The cathedral was even one of the filming locations for Hogwarts school in the Harry Potter movies.

If you enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Which parts of Beamish Museum interest you the most? Have you ever been to a museum like this?