Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

The story of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian life is told by our costumed staff and volunteers in a unique living and working museum which hosts over 300,000 objects.

Nestling in 300 acres of countryside, Beamish boasts a railway station, a farm, a mill, a colliery village and police and fire stations.

Most of the houses, shops and other buildings have been dismantled, brought to Beamish and rebuilt here. We also own a collection of vehicles and modes of transport, such as trams, trains, trolleybuses, horsedrawn carriages and waggons.

We recently added a selection of fantastic oil paintings from our collection to the BBC's Your Paintings website.

Across The Ages

Beamish represents three main periods of the region's history.

• The Georgian Period
• The Victorian Period
• The Edwardian Period

Our staff work with real collections and demonstrate what life was like in the past. This allows you to experience what life would have been like first hand.   

Your Past

Beamish collects your stories and your past in photographs, recordings and objects, and uses such collections to create the things you see on site, as well as allowing you to look back and share your past with us and the region.

Schools

A visit to Beamish brings classroom learning to life through hands-on experiences they’ll never forget.

Why not enhance your school's visit with a special hands-on learning activity, or take a look at our Online Resources to use before, during, and after you visit to Beamish?

A visit can be further enhanced by using the services of the Beamish Learning Department. Our learning staff can assist teachers in planning a visit and provide further information on the resources available for teachers and pupils using Beamish.

• Themed Loans Boxes