Photographic and Audio Archive

The photographic archive at Beamish consists of some 300,000 images representing everyday life in the North of England from 1860 to the present day.

The collection illustrates towns and street scenes, rural life and farming scenes, industrial scenes of coal mining, lead mining, iron and steel as well as northern buildings and topography. Also included are many modern record photographs showing buildings of interest in the North East region.

Many photographs are by well known photographers including Fenton, Frith, Pattison, Edis, as well as unknown photographers.

The photographic archive houses complete collections from the Durham Advertiser Newspaper, the Agricultural Gazette and Farmers Guardian, the Consett Steel Company Collection, a selection of the Phillipson Collection and more recently Huwood's Mining Machinery and ICI Teesside collections.

The archive includes images of prints, illustrations, ephemera as well as objects in the museum's collections. The photographic collection is actively being digitised, fast access being provided via the computers in the museum's search room. Click here for information.

The collection is also sustained by regular donations from the general public. If you wish to purchase a print of a photograph or find out more information on any of the photographic archive please contact our Registrar: danhudachek@beamish.org.uk

Flash player 9 or above required to view the slide show.