Awesome day visit to the Beamish Museum

We spent an awesome day visiting the Beamish Museum in County Durham, when we stayed ay Crimdon Dene, Park Resort campsite. This is one place you need to go for a memorable walk down memory lane.

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Things you need to know about a visit to the Beamish Museum

Online booking, buy a ticket which is valid for a whole year. Visit the Beamish Museum wherever you wish, how many times you wish within that year.
Open from the 1^st April to the 5^th of November.
Plenty of free car parking.
Wheelchair and disabled friendly, some places are not accessible due to the nature of the recreated buildings. There is a wheelchair accessible vehicle which is free to use, carers go in free of charge.
Dogs on leads are allowed.
Free onsite transport on vintage vehicles.

What amazing things you can see at the Beamish Museum.

The beamish museum is full of reconstructed building from days gone by. They have laid the enormous site out cleverly into villages of certain years. To get from one village to another you have free access to various vintage trams, cars, and buses. This was wonderful and we went around the whole place more than once just having a ride in the various vehicles. Events are organised throughout the year so check out the website. The people who help you, chat to you about the exhibits or houses and shops are all dressed up in period costumes. There is a colliery and all the history that goes with it. We loved visiting the shops and the farm and towns. The school was interesting and brought back some memories of the good old days. A farm is set up and one which was run by the second world war land girls.

8 places you visit during your visit to the Beamish Museum.

A 1900s town, this has shops you can go into and see what they sold. All have staff in period costumes who talk about what went on in the shop at the time. I found this very interesting. I liked the co-op shop and the sweet shop the best. They have a great tearoom where you can have refreshments. Lots of nice picnic areas and a band stand.
The 1950s town was undergoing some expansion work, so we did not get to see it all. The fish and chip shop smelt delicious and had a queue of customers. The welfare hall has activities in the main section and an exhibit about the NHS. You can have a game of mini golf for £2.50, visit the football shed which is like a museum to 1950s football. There are houses to walk through and a café that sells ice cream.
1900s Pit Village, has cottages and a school that you can explore. There is also a 1900 colliery they have a mine you can walk about. The lamp exhibit is great as is the winding engine house. The colliery railway is for viewing only.
Land girls second world war life on the home front farm. This was lovely we enjoyed a talk from a person dressed like a land girl. She showed us the clothes they wore and chatted about what they did in their free time and work time.
On event days they have a steam train. This sets off from the Rowley Station going around the site. You can view the engine sheds and bridges and get a real feel for what it was like.
There is a wonderful farm from the 1950. It was completely rebuilt. It demonstrates the rural skills and has a great farm kitchen. It is full of the memory stories of those who lived there originally.
Pockerley Old Hall is the home of a tenant farmer and dates to the 1440’s. It has a nice garden and veg patch. There is another cottage belonging to a quilter filled with exhibits. All these buildings have been accurately rebuilt. Lots of interesting history in the beautiful St Helens church. Gorgeous stain glass windows.
The unique tram way and buses operate around the site. They are at a stop every half hour so you never waiting long for a ride.

What food can you buy at Beamish Museum?

There is a tea room which sells takeaways. You can sit inside or outside to eat.
There is The Sun Inn Pub which has indoor seating and sells takeaway meals.
Herron’s Bakery sells take away food.
The sweet shop sells yummy sweets and confectionary.
There are a few places where you can buy a delicious ice cream.
One the site there are two fish and chip shops.
John’s Café and the Coffee shop both sell take away food and have indoor seating.

Do they have a souvenir shop at the Beamish Museum?

They sell souvenirs in the shop at the entrance to the Beamish Museum as well as at the bakery and sweet shop. You can also purchase the baked goods, sweets and confectionary online.

My overall review of the facilities at the Beamish Museum.

I totally enjoyed our full day visit to this museum. It really floated my boat.

The main areas are spotlessly clean, no rubbish lying around.
The staff are very pleasant and dressed beautifully.
Lots of great picnic area’s and take away food if you get very hungry.
The transport around the site is fabulous.
The ablutions are clean and tidy.
It is all very well marked out and you are given a free site map when you enter.
Free parking…. WOW!!!!