Explore Creativity in the Coalfield at Beamish Museum!
Be inspired by the region’s proud mining heritage during a nine-day event at Beamish Museum.
Learn about local artists and writers and their links to the region’s mining heritage during Creativity in the Coalfield, at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, this February Half Term, from 22nd February to 2nd March 2025.
The 1820s Landscape
- Find inspiration from the museum’s collections and have a go at charcoal drawing at Pockerley Old Hall
- Enjoy traditional folk songs on 23rd, 26th, 27th and 28th February and 1st March
The 1900s Pit Village and Colliery
- Learn about writer Sid Chaplin in the chapel at 11am and 1.30pm each day
- Find the Sid Chaplin quotes displayed around The Pit Village and Colliery and see how he described the mining community in his work
- See a display of mining banners in the band hall
- Look at examples of folk art and clippy mats from the museum’s collection in the pit cottages
- Have a go at charcoal drawing and painting in the lamp cabin exhibition room
- Enjoy an art display in the school
- Watch the clog dancers in the band hall on Saturday, 22nd February from 11am to 1pm
- Listen to traditional tunes from The Cloth Cappers in the band hall on Thursday, 27th and Friday, 28th February and Sunday 2nd March
The 1900s Town
- Take part in the Creativity in the Coalfield family trail. Collect a trail sheet from the town stalls, Co-op or emigration office.
- Call into the Masonic Hall to see a display of pottery and glass from the museum’s collection. The items on display all represent coal mining
- A selection of quilts from the museum’s collection will be on display in Ravensworth Terrace
The 1940s Farm
- Make a “seed bomb” in Orchard Cottage and learn about the work of Durham Wildlife Trust in rewilding and rejuvenating landscapes previously used by heavy industry
- Learn about proggy mat making in the farmhouse kitchen
- Listen to the accordion player on Saturday, 22nd and Thursday, 27th February and Sunday, 2nd March
The 1950s Town
- Grab an activity sheet from the 1950s welfare hall and find the three missing painting pieces which are hidden around the 1950s Town. Once you’ve found them, return to the welfare hall to sketch the missing pieces into your sheet!
- Members of the Cornish family will be giving a talk about the life of the artist in the 1950s welfare hall at 2pm on Sunday, 23rd February and Sunday, 2nd March
- Have a go at drawing Berriman’s Chip Van, the vehicle features in many of Norman Cornish’s paintings
- See a display of artwork by pupils from Byers Green school
- Put on your dancing shoes and join in with a 1950s tea dance from 12pm to 2pm on Sunday, 2nd March. The tea dance follows broadcaster Angela Rippon’s Let’s Dance Campaign, which has been designed to get the country moving and promote the physical, mental, and social benefits of dance
Spain’s Field Farm
- Find out about spar boxes and try making your own. Created by miners, these beautiful boxes were a form of folk art displaying minerals
Use your Beamish Unlimited Pass or Friends of Beamish membership to enjoy this special event. Pay once and visit free for a year!
Beamish reserves the right to alter events, activities, facilities, operations and opening times without prior notice.