Discover Crimes of the Centuries at Beamish Museum during February Half Term

Investigate crimes of the 1820s, early 1900s, 1940s and 1950s at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North during this February Half Term (18 to 26 February).

Discover the story of renowned Georgian quilter Joseph Hedley who was murdered in 1826 in an appalling crime that shocked the nation, and learn about crime and punishment in the Georgian period.

Learn about the actions of some of the North East’s Suffragettes in The 1900s Town and visit the bank to hear stories of a Sunderland bank robbery which took place in 1897.

Visit The 1900s Pit Village to find out what happened to those who played truant and, in the back lane of Francis Street, learn about illegal games of pitch and toss.

Head to The 1940s Farm to find out about the black market during World War Two.

There have been reports of sheep rustling at Spain’s Field Farm – can you help the farmer and the policeman find the lost sheep? (Spain’s Field Farm open weekends only).

Practise your lock picking skills in The 1950s Town and visit the 1950s welfare hall to see some of the fascinating policing objects the museum has in its collection and discover the planned room layouts for Beamish’s 1950s police houses and office, which are due to open later this year.

Plus, take part in the museum’s fun family activity trail and solve The Mystery of the Sleepy Salesman!

Each area of the museum will be concentrating on the types of crimes and punishments of the times they portray, there will be lots to discover and plenty of activities to try your hand at during this week-long event.

Beamish Museum is replicating a pair of police houses from Heworth, in Gateshead, and their associated single-storey office, which will open later this year. Visitors to the police houses will be able to experience the daily routine of a police officer in the 1950s. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the Remaking Beamish project was awarded £10.9million by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2016.

Save the Date!

The fun doesn’t stop after February Half Term as the museum has a packed programme planned throughout 2023, with some brand new events as well as the return of some firm favourites. The museum will also be opening several new exhibits in its 1950s Town and 1820s Landscape making 2023 an exciting year for visitors.

Whether you’re serious about steam, crazy about cars or fascinated by farming, there’s something for the whole family to enjoy at Beamish Museum this year.

Spring Events

• Celebrate International Women’s Day (11 - 12 March).
• Be amazed by ingenious activities during Science Weekend (18 - 19 March)
• Join in with family activities on Mothering Sunday (19 March).
• Prepare for a steam spectacular as a selection of road steam, locomotives and internal combustion engines visit the museum for the Beamish Steam Gala (1 - 2 April).
• Enjoy a cracking day out at Beamish this Easter (7 - 10 April) with lots of egg-citing activities. Take part in an Easter egg trail, see and taste traditional Easter baking, take part in Easter crafts and egg-cellent activities.
• Celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Beamish Tramway during Fares Please (6 - 8 May), along with Coronation Celebrations. The museum’s Tramway opened in 1973 to re-create the experience and atmosphere of tramway operation while giving visitors the chance to travel back in time.
• Trot along to the museum for Horses in Harness (10 - 11 June).
• Enjoy the Classic Car Day, organised by North of England Classic & Pre-War Automobiles Club (18 June).
• See the start and finish of the 50^th Reliability Run, a 150-mile run through Durham and Yorkshire for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles registered before 1956 (18 June). Also, spend your Sunday listening to some of the best brass bands in the North East as they compete to be the best brass band during Brass at Beamish.

Summer Events

• The museum will be hosting the World Quoits Championship (1 - 2 July), see members of the National Quoits Association battle it out across this two day event.
• Unleash your inner inventor with amazing science, technology, engineering and maths activities during Crank It Up! (1 - 2 July).
• Visitors can learn more about the fascinating story of upland farming during the Farming in the 1950s weekend (8 - 9 July).
• Admire traditional tractors on display at the museum (22 - 23 July).
• Take your home-grown produce along to Beamish Allotment, Garden and Flower Show (26 - 27 August).
• Learn about life on the Home Front during the Second World War during Dig for Victory (31 August - 3 September).
• See a whole host of cars, lorries, vans and bikes at the Autumn Transport Gala (9 - 10 September).

There’ll also be regular musical performances by brass bands in the bandstand in The 1900s Town, choirs in The 1900s Pit Village chapel and 1950s musical acts taking to the welfare hall stage.

There's plenty of autumn and winter activities planned too, including the magical Christmas at Beamish celebrations, with the dates to be confirmed.

New Exhibits

As if exciting events weren’t enough, the museum will be opening several new exhibits in its 1950s Town and 1820s Landscape.

New exhibits opening in The 1950s Town later this year include a pair of police houses and their associated single-storey office, semi-detached houses, a terrace of aged miners’ homes and a bowling green and pavilion.

In the 1820s Landscape, the museum is due to open a Georgian pottery and Drover’s Tavern where visitors will be able to enjoy Georgian-inspired food and drink.

Beamish Museum’s daytime events are included in admission and are free to Beamish Unlimited Pass holders and Friends of Beamish members, pay once and visit free for a year.

For more information, including events and opening times check out Beamish Museum website.