Beamish Museum: Inside the Living Museum of the North

Trams rattle through a 1900s high street, a coal-fired chip shop in the pit village, and a 1950s hairdresser who will do your updo before you set off around the site. In episode 222 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy is joined by Samantha Shotton, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO of Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, to explore one of her favourite places in the whole of the UK: a 500-acre open-air museum in County Durham where the past is told by real people in costume rather than labels on a wall.

Beamish shaped how Tracy taught history for years, and she was back in June with Doug and her sister, chatting to the dentist and queuing for the very popular sweet shop. This week Samantha walks through each era from the 1820s Georgian landscape to the newly built 1950s town, explains how to get there by train, bus or car, how the historic trams and buses work, what is in place for visitors with limited mobility, and where to base yourself to explore the rest of North East England.

If you have family roots in the north or simply want to see how people in the north of England once lived, this one belongs on your itinerary.

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What you’ll learn in this episode

What makes Beamish a living museum rather than a traditional one, and why over 500 staff and 400 volunteers in costume are the whole point of a visit
Where Beamish is and how big it is: nearly 500 acres in County Durham near Stanley and Chester-le-Street, just off the A1
What each era gives you, from the 1820s Georgian landscape at Pockerley and the waggonway to the 1900s pit village, the 1900s town, the 1940s farm and the new 1950s town
Why the drift mine, the schoolhouse and the miners’ cottages hit home for anyone whose family came from the north-east coalfields
What you will find in the 1950s town, including the Grand Cinema rebuilt from Ryhope, the toy shop, the electrical shop and a hairdresser who will style your hair in a 1950s updo
How Beamish won Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, and the dementia-friendly and community work that most visitors never see
Where the buildings and 2.5 million objects come from, how some were moved brick by brick, and why founder Frank Atkinson asked the people of the North East to bring in what mattered to them
How to get to Beamish by train, bus or car, including which stations to aim for, the bus routes from Newcastle and Chester-le-Street, and the discount you get for arriving by bus
How the historic trams and buses work on their circular route, how often they come round, and which other rides are running, from Rowley Station to the colliery railway
Samantha’s suggested route for a full day, and the staff pro tip about heading to Pockerley first
How the pay-for-the-day, visit-for-the-year ticket works, plus the Halloween and Christmas evening events that need a separate ticket
What is in place for visitors with limited mobility, from scooter hire and the easy access bus to the Changing Places facility, quiet spaces and sensory bags
Where to stay, including the Georgian-inspired self-catering cottages inside the museum grounds, and which County Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland attractions pair well with a Beamish day
The one thing to eat on site (coal-fired, beef dripping fish and chips) and the one thing Samantha wants every visitor to know before they arrive

Links mentioned in this episode

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North – official website with opening times and tickets
Accessibility at Beamish – scooter hire, the easy access bus, Changing Places, quiet spaces and the at a glance guide Samantha mentions
Plan your visit to Beamish – getting there by bus, train and car
Places to stay at Beamish – the self-catering cottages in the Georgian landscape
Free UK Trip Planning Roadmap – our free step-by-step guide to planning your UK trip

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Beamish Museum: Inside the Living Museum of the North with Samantha Shotton