Nominate Your 1950s House

January 23rd 2015

Beamish is taking the 1950s on tour across the North East to invite people to nominate their house from the decade to be replicated at the Museum.

A team from Beamish will set up a 1950s living room in the Bridges shopping centre, in Sunderland, this Saturday (24th January) for the first of its Nominate Your House community events. Museum staff and volunteers will be visiting locations across the region in coming weeks.

Beamish wants people to help decide which style of 1950s semi-detached social housing should be built in its planned 1950s Town. People can nominate the 1950s semi they live in now, or perhaps their childhood home, even if it’s since been knocked down.

The winning house will be decided by a public vote and the person who made the nomination will even get the chance to stay overnight in the finished exhibit as part of the opening celebrations.

Geraldine Straker, Remaking Beamish Project Officer said:

We’re delighted to be giving people the chance to nominate their 1950s semi to be replicated at Beamish.

We’re inviting people from across Wearside to come and visit us in the Bridges this Saturday to find out more about Nominate Your House and how they can get involved.

We’re also keen to hear people’s memories of life in the 1950s – so come along and see us!

Nominate Your House community events will be taking place on the following dates:

  • Sunderland – Bridges shopping centre, Saturday, 24th January
  • Newcastle – Grainger Market, Saturday, 31st January
  • Hartlepool – Middleton Grange shopping centre (9am-4.30pm) & Central Library (10am-1pm), Monday, 2nd February
  • Durham – Durham City Market Place, Saturday, 7th February
  • Northumberland, Ashington, Community Development Trust, Monday, 9th February
  • South Tyneside – South Shields, King Street, Saturday, 14th February
  • Gateshead – Interchange, town centre, Wednesday, 18th February
  • Redcar – High Street, Friday, 20th February
  • Darlington – Market Place, West Row, Saturday, 21st February
  • North Tyneside – Tynemouth Market, Sunday, 22nd February
  • Middlesbrough – Corporation Road, town centre, Thursday, 26th February
  • Stockton – High Street, Saturday, 28th February

Nominated houses must be from the North East, semi-detached and originally built as social housing between 1950 and 1959 (although they don’t still have to be social housing). The closing date for entries is 9am on 5th March.

The winner will be chosen by public vote between 27th and 30th March 2015. And there’s no need for the owner to worry – the winning home will be replicated, not actually moved to the Museum.

Nominate Your House is part of the exciting £16.7million Remaking Beamish project, which includes plans for a 1950s town, upland farm, Georgian coaching inn, craftsmen’s cottages and a windmill.

The 1950s town is set to include homes, shops, cafe, cinema, police house and recreation area. Aged Miners’ Homes will be a dedicated centre for people living with dementia and their families and carers.

The Museum has received initial support for a £10.75million Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the project.

The Remaking Beamish project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Using money raised through the National Lottery, the HLF sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, HLF invests in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported 33,000 projects, allocating £5billion across the UK.