Travel through the 1820s landscape as a Drover
Immerse yourselves in stories from the past during the Summer of Fun event, from 18th July to 31st August 2026 at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North.
Choose from six exciting adventures and compete, collaborate, create and explore your way around the award-winning museum.
Explore the many modes of transport across the museum and discover hidden details that are often missed with the Time-Travelling Transport trail. Travel through The 1820s Landscape as a drover and explore the natural world, help Miss Smith’s maid find her missing ingredients in The 1900s Town, look for games, challenges and fun in The 1900s Pit Village, learn about the life of an evacuee at The 1940s Farm and explore post-war Britain through the eyes of a teenager in The 1950s Town.
Connor Emerson, Curator of Social History at Beamish Museum, said: “This summer we have been inspired by stories from different areas of the museum to create a series of experiences that our visitors can use to explore the musuem, compete with each other, solve problems together and be creative.
“There is something for everyone to enjoy, and many reasons to use your Beamish Unlimited Pass to return again and again and get a different experience each time!”
Plus, learn about traditional crafts as you join in with a weaving board activity and check in with the museum’s latest embroidery project at 1820s Pockerley, watch the explosive Just One Spark session in The 1900s Pit Village during Mining Mondays, and get your sashes, rosettes and placards ready and join the Edwardian folk in their fight to secure votes for women! Rallies will be held each Wednesday and Saturday in The 1900s Town.
Learn all about evacuees, semaphore signalling and discover wartime toys at The 1940s Farm, head to Spain’s Field Farm and discover how to make hay rope and colour in some postcards based on those in the museum’s collection.
Take part in a 1950s radio-style quiz, Shove It Up Your Jumper, in the welfare hall each Monday, Wednesday and Friday and bring your favourite teddy bear to the 1950s NHS Clinic for a check-up every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the Summer of Fun event.
Horse fans should trot along to Beamish Museum on 18th and 19th July to see a remarkable carriage driving competition by the Concours d’International d’Attelage de Tradition (CIAT).
Celebrate 50 years of Rowley Station at the County Durham open air museum with a special weekend event, including music, decorations and poetry. In 1976, Rowley Station became the first relocated building to be opened at the museum, and was opened as an exhibit by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman.
As well as exciting events, visitors can travel through time every day over summer to discover the story of life in the 1820s, early 1900s, 1940s and 1950s, as they experience the unforgettable sights, sounds, smells and delicious tastes of the past.
The fun continues even after the school holidays are over. Expect giant leeks and beautiful blooms at the North East Horticultural Society and Beamish Museum Annual Show, Saturday, 7th and Sunday, 8th September 2024.
Beamish Museum has teamed up with the North East Horticultural Society for this annual event, which will see fierce, friendly competition at the museum as a vast array of vegetables, flowers and crafts are put forward to be judged. Avid gardeners will find plenty of categories arranged by the North East Horticultural Society to enter, while the museum’s visitors, staff and volunteers can also compete for certificates and rosettes with their amazing home-grown and homemade entries in The Beamish Challenge!
At Beamish Museum, you can stroll through the stunning 1820s Landscape and sample Georgian-inspired delights at the Drovers Tavern. Grab a hard hat and take an underground tour of a coal mine in The 1900s Pit Village, brave a visit to the dentist in The 1900s Town and don Edwardian costume and remember your day out with a photograph in the Edwardian photographers’ studio (extra charge applies). You can also meet the 1940s Land Girls and Home Guard, take a trip to a 1950s cinema and toy shop, explore the 1950s Farm and so much more!
Daytime events are included in museum admission and are free to Beamish Unlimited Pass holders and Friends of Beamish members, pay once and visit free for a year.
Beamish is the North East’s most visited attraction and was awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, the world’s largest museum prize.
For full event listings, opening times and ticket information, visit beamish.org.uk.
