Christmas at Beamish Museum invites visitors to celebrate retro-style
See how the County Durham museum creates scenes of Christmases past from the 1800s to the 1950s - all ready to explore from this weekend
Many of us feel that Christmas is more commercialised than ever with the festive season being less about goodwill than a spending frenzy but here's a chance to take a step away from all that - and back in time.
Beamish Museum is inviting families to explore how Christmas used to be celebrated in the past and it has decorated its vast County Durham site with decorations in keeping with the time periods it covers. And that means from Georgian times to the 1950s.
From this weekend, visitors can experience traditional Christmas festivities with 'festive food, merry music and Christmas crafts' on offer right up to Christmas Eve. The museum's popular Christmas evening openings are always a sell-out - as is the case again this year - but it is hosting 'Christmas daytime' visits where families can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the good old days.
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These are included in the general admission price and free to Beamish Unlimited pass-holders and Friends. There will be festive treats on sale such as mince pies, mulled wine, chestnuts and hot chocolate and among the attractions will be traditonal decorations in the 1900s Town and the miners' cottages in the Pit Village which are all set for a family Christmas, with choirs singing at weekends in the chapel.
Also at weekends visitors can help make paperchains and postcards at the 1940s Farm where the Land Girls will be preparing for the season with homemade gifts and ration cooking on the menu. And Spain’s Field Farm will be open at weekends too, offering a chance to jump a decade and find out how farming communities celebrated the season in the 1950s.
There will be similar festive attractions in store across the site, including a first chance to see them at the new developments at the 1950s Town, says events manager Paul Foster, adding: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming visitors to celebrate Christmases past with us. And from this Saturday, November 25 Santa who be taking up residence too, settling into his grotto at Rowley Station goods yard ready to meet families in the run-up to Christmas. These visits, which carry a charge, need to be book separately: see here.
In The 1950s Town, visitors can treat themselves to a 1950s hairdo at Elizabeth’s hairdressers, for a small charge, as well as see the new council houses, police houses and aged mineworkers’ homes and find out how families celebrated Christmas in that era. The community hub of the welfare hall will be hosting festive crafts on December weekends
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Visitors can walk down the Edwardian cobbled street in The 1900s Town and stop off at beautifully-decorated homes, gift stalls and shops such as the bakery and sweet shops which will be selling festive treats. And why not don period costume at the 1900s photography studio - where there’s a new winter range of costumes - and have your picture taken, for a small fee
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Homes in The 1900s Town have been beautifully-decorated for visitors too
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Also in The 1900s Town there's a park where brass bands will be playing at weekends. The nearby Tea Rooms will be serving Christmas lunch
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