Beamish

The Town

The Town represents a typical north eastern market town in the years leading up to the First World War. Trams rattle down the cobbled street, carrying visitors on their journey into the past.

At the west end of The Town is a Victorian park, with ornamental flower beds and a bandstand from Saltwell Park, Gateshead. Brass band concerts are held here on some summer Sundays.

Ravensworth Terrace came originally from nearby Gateshead. These fashionable houses were built for professional people and now represent the home of a Music Teacher, the home and surgery of a Dentist and a Solicitor’s office.

At the end of the terrace is The Sun Inn, originally from Bishop Auckland, which dates back to the 1860s. The Sun Inn is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks during museum opening hours.

Through the adjoining archway are the Town Stables where splendid Gelderlander carriage horses are accommodated. The Carriage House, complete with foreman’s office and shoeing forge, holds a fine display of horse-drawn vehicles.

In the Newspaper Branch Office the Stationer’s shop sells a range of specially selected cards, prints and copies of Edwardian stationery. Upstairs, a jobbing printer demonstrates the production of posters, business cards and advertising material.

Across the cobbled street is a Co-operative shop with three departments, grocery, drapery and hardware, which were taken from the much larger Annfield Plain Co-operative Society, dating back to 1870. The Co-op prided itself on providing ‘Everything from the cradle to the grave’.

The Motor & Cycle Works next door is a typical town garage of 1913. The Showroom displays new and second hand cars, including the magnificent, locally built 1907 Armstrong Whitworth.   A host of parts are on view in the Spares department and in the workshop an articulated car is ‘under repair’.

A mouth-watering range of boiled sweets, like pear drops, winter warmers and a host of others, are made in the Jubilee Sweet Factory and sold in the Sweet Shop, alongside delicious toffees, fudges and other confectionery.

The fine four-storey branch of Barclays Bank was designed to give its customers a feeling of financial stability and security. Visitors take a peek into the underground vaults, admire the splendid banking hall and view the Manager’s Office.

The splendid Masonic Hall, from Park Terrace in Sunderland, allows visitors to see inside a typical meeting place and find out more about the world of Freemasonry in 1913.   It is shown being prepared for an evening meeting of a craft Masonic lodge. Upstairs in the Museum Room, Masonic paintings and prints are hung on the walls and Masonic curiosities, jewels and artefacts are on display.

The newest attraction in The Town is the Westoe Netty, which was opened in July 2008.  The Westoe Netty, a late nineteenth century public gentlemen’s toilet from Westoe in South Shields, was built around 1890.  Although entirely unspectacular in itself, the Netty inspired a well known painting of the same name by South Shields artist Robert Olley. 

 

Originally the Westoe Netty was recessed into the embankment of the Harton Coal Company railway to Westoe Colliery, adjacent to the abutment carrying the railway bridge through Westoe.  It was taken down in 1996 and stored in a shipyard in  South Tyneside until 2007, when it was donated to Beamish by South Tyneside Council.   It has now been rebuilt near to the Railway Station, placing it in as near its original context as possible.