Short Courses
In 2011 year we offered people a fantastic opportunity to experience the Museum in a completely different way whilst having fun and learning new skills. The courses proved extremely popular and these will all be running along with some exciting new courses in 2012:
- Proggy Mat Workshop
- How to Keep Bees
- Learn to Drive a Beamish Tram
- Full Day Steam Engine Experience
- Have a Go at Driving a Steam Engine
- Beamish Baking Day
- Backyard Poultry Keeping
- Introduction to Driving Horses
- Preparing a Heavy Horse for a Show
- Black and White Photography Workshop
- Book your place now!
Proggy Mat Workshop
Be inspired by Beamish Museum's collection of original and unique proggy mats! Make your own proggy mat and take it home, along with your own mat making kit.
Attendees are asked to bring along some scrap material or old clothes (natural fibres work best). Frame, hessian and homemade proggers will be provided on the day.
Course Dates:
- Saturday 12th May 2012 (10.00am - 4.00pm) - SOLD OUT
- Sunday 22nd July 2012 (10.00am - 4.00pm)
- Sunday 9th September 2012 (10.00am - 4.00pm)
Cost: £55 per person.
Course Feedback:
'Enjoyed that it was a one day course. Lovely talking to everyone. Staff were really friendly and helpful. Had a great day and great to take the material home.'
'Wonderful course thanks so much!'
How to Keep Bees
Learn the basics of beekeeping with this hands on course which will set you on your way to keeping your own.
Experienced bee keeper Ian Wallace will talk you through the beekeeping essentials and you will come away with the confidence to keep your own and harvest honey!
The course consists of 4 half day sessions:
- Sunday 1st July 2012 (10.00am - 1.00pm)
- Sunday 8th July 2012 (10.00am - 1.00pm)
- Sunday 15th July 2012 (10.00am - 1.00pm)
- Sunday 22nd July 2012 (10.00am - 1.00pm)
Cost: £120 per person (all four dates inclusive).
Course Feedback:
'Excellent tutor, well paced. Preparation for Beekeeping excellent.'
'Ian was excellent. Never made me feel stupid even though he had to repeat himself over and over again!!!'
'Ian is an excellent and engaging tutor - thank you. Thoroughly enjoyable.'
Learn to Drive a Beamish Tram
Our experienced Tram driving team will give you a full day's worth of tramway preparation, safety checks and of course driving the trams through our authentic settings - a unique opportunity!
Course Date:
- New timetable coming soon
Cost: £175 per person.
Course Feedback:
Thank you for making my tram driving experience at Beamish such as special day.
Full Day Steam Engine Experience
Find out all about the pioneering railway engines at the Waggonway and learn how to clean, bring into steam and drive them.
Our experienced team of demonstrators will give you a full day's worth of Georgian engine preparation, maintenance and of course driving the engines through the Pockerley landscape - a unique opportunity!
Course Dates:
- New timetable coming soon
Cost: £175 per person (lunch included), 1 observer can come along to watch.
Course Feedback:
Brilliant day - Thank you!
Have a Go at Driving a Steam Engine
Experience the earliest steam railways first hand and have a go at driving one of our early 1800s replica steam engines, Puffing Billy or the Steam Elephant.
Our knowledgeable demonstrators will take you through the history and operation of the engine, after which you will be have a unique chance to drive the engine.
- Saturday 19th May 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm) - SOLD OUT
- Wednesday 30th May 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm) - SOLD OUT
- Saturday 16th June 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm) - SOLD OUT
- Wednesday 27th June 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm)
- Saturday 7th July 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm) - SOLD OUT
- Wednesday 18th July 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm)
- Saturday 8th September 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm) - SOLD OUT
- Wednesday 19th September 2012 (5.30pm - 7.30pm)
Cost: £65 per person.
Course Feedback:
'Really enjoyed my 60th birthday experience. The tutors were friendly and knowledgeable and this helped the overall enjoyment of the experience. Thank you!'
'It was an amazing experience and the guys (tutors) were brilliant and informative. A great talking point and I will recommend it.'
Beamish Baking Day
Learn how to bake on a traditional coal fired range in a cosy traditional kitchen.
A fantastic chance to experience how cooking was done in times gone by and make your own bread, scones and cakes on a traditional range.
Course Dates:
- New timetable coming soon
Cost: £60 per person.
Course Feedback:
'I had a really fun time! The day was relaxed and the tutors friendly and knowledgeable. We made so many things and still had time for a chat and a cuppa! Thanks.'
Backyard Poultry Keeping
Eggs the old fashioned way! Learn about animal husbandry and different breeds of chickens, geese and ducks.
Our knowledgeable farming staff will talk you through the basics of keeping poultry for eggs and meat in the wonderfully rural Home Farm environment.
Course Dates:
- Sunday 17th June 2012 (1.30am - 4.30pm)
Cost: £45 per person.
Introduction to Driving Horses
A fantastic opportunity to learn from our experienced stables team and discover the basics of how to drive horses.
- Friday 18th May 2012 (10am - 4pm) - SOLD OUT
- Friday 6th July 2012 (10am - 4pm)
Cost: £175 per person.
Preparing a Heavy Horse for a Show
Learn how to groom and prepare a horse for a show with one of our expert horsemen.
Find out all about our heavy horses, how to wash and groom them along with plaiting and harnessing. No previous experience required.
Course Dates:
- Sunday 27th May 2012 (10.00am - 3.00pm)
- Sunday 1st July 2012 (10.00am - 3.00pm)
Cost: £80 per person.
Course Feedback:
'This has been a very enjoyable day. Very well organised. First class. Will Recommend to friends. Big thank you. Very Good Birthday pressy.'
'The whole experience has been fantastic, when booking the attention to detail was faultless. The day was perfect. The staff and course tutor was really friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. The catering was excellent too.'
Black and White Photography Workshop
Beamish is the perfect location for black and white photography. With its recreation of an Edwardian town - complete with fascinating period shops, pit village, and manor house and farm - there is a rich variety of subject matter perfect for this atmospheric medium.
Experienced photography tutor David Taylor will help you think about how to begin to 'see in black and white', and consider both technical and creative approaches for producing effective, satisfying black and white images. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience and ability.
Course Dates:
- New timetable coming soon
Cost: £80 per person (includes morning coffee and a packed lunch.)
Book your place now!
Please note: courses are currently only available for those aged 18 and over.
For further details on each course and how to book your place please contact our Skills Development Officer, Celyn Williams:
Telephone: 0191 370 4000
Email: celynwilliams@beamish.org.uk