Rebecca Walker, events assistant at Beamish, has a super fun job...

When you think about a traditional museum, it conjures images of artefacts behind glass cases, 'Please Do Not Touch' signs and visitors walking around quietly. But not at Beamish. The North East site has rewritten the rules and created something unique that has changed the perceptions of what a museum can be.

Located in County Durham, Beamish is a world-famous 'Living Museum' that tells the story of life in North East England right from the 1820s through to the 1950s. The museum's founder and first director, Frank Atkinson, wanted to create an open-air museum for the North East that paid tribute to its industrial heritage. Beamish keeps Atkinson's ethos alive to this day and sees the necessity to keep the North East history alive.

“We want to help keep traditional skills and activities alive, especially when a lot of them are dying out as the culture changes,” said Rebecca Walker, Events Assistant at Beamish. “We don’t have pit villages anymore because we don’t have the pits and the culture that surrounds them, so we are trying to preserve it.”

Beamish attracted over 800,000 visitors in 2023 from all over the world, and it is a testament to the staff and volunteers who are dedicated to keeping our Northern heritage alive but also coming up with fresh and innovative ideas to keep customers engaged. “The site is constantly evolving so that we can add more for the visitors,” said Rebecca. “I’ve been working here for 10 years, and I’ve seen lots of new buildings and exhibits pop up – we’ve just finished our ‘Remaking Beamish Project.’”

The ‘Remaking Beamish Project’ marks the biggest capital development in the County Durham museum’s history and led to the creation of the 1950s Village. The new exhibit includes replicas of semi-detached council houses from Red House in Sunderland, a recreation of the Grand Cinema from Ryhope, in Sunderland and a bowling green and pavilion from Billingham.

Beamish is an immersive living museum that takes visitors on a trip back in time. For many, this experience can be educational as they see what life was like in the mid-20th Century. However, Beamish also runs activities for people living with dementia and long-term health conditions and this can be truly transformative as they are able to relive their past.

“People who are of the age where dementia typically hits would have grown up in the 1950s, so seeing that set-up brings back a lot of memories and smell and sight is an important part of helping people. It makes a big difference to have somewhere like this to go,” said Rebecca.

The main focus of Beamish is to bring to life the heritage and history of the North East. However, they also have fun with the setting and location to create seasonal events for the family, including Halloween. “We try to remain as traditional as possible with our events because that’s the story that we are telling but Halloween gives us a little more leeway to go off-piste,” said Rebecca. “For Halloween this year, we’ve got musicians, fire acts, magicians, bubbleologists and all sorts of interesting things going on that you don’t usually see at the museum.”

Even though it’s probably still too early for many people to think about, preparations are well underway for this year’s festive celebrations at Beamish. Families can come and experience an enchanting evening at Beamish for Christmas as they immerse themselves in festive entertainment, merry music and seasonal treats under the night sky. Visitors can also explore traditionally decorated homes and shops in Edwardian town and meet Santa Claus in his festive Grotto at Rowley Station Goods Yard.

Preparations start many months in advance to make it a special evening for the whole family to enjoy and this is a rewarding challenge for staff like Rebecca. “Many visitors tell us that Christmas at Beamish is their family tradition, so they always get tickets every year. It’s really nice that we are part of that with the locals, and we are part of their traditions now as much as we are showing them how it was in the past,” said Rebecca.

From organising visits from Father Christmas to designing a 1950s town to planning a spooky evening on Halloween, no two days are the same at Beamish Museum, and that’s what Rebecca loves about her job. “It’s a bit of a bonkers job, you never know what you’re going to be doing from one moment to the next,” said Rebecca. “There was one time when I was escorting a bunch of camels through the site, and there are times when I’ve been figuring out where to store coffins for the Halloween event. It’s a strange but exciting job!”