From buses and the board school to the 1900s terrace and the tea rooms, Beamish reopened its indoor attractions from today (17th May).
We have opened our doors to as many of our period exhibits and buildings as possible – including the Edwardian dentist, Co-op, chemist, bank and band hall – under Step 3 of the government’s COVID-19 roadmap.
Beamish’s 1950s buses are running once again and visitors will also be able to enjoy table service in the Tea Rooms in The 1900s Town.
Davy’s fish and chip shop, Jubilee Confectioners sweet shop, Herron’s Bakery and The Sun Inn, which are currently open for takeaway treats, will continue to welcome visitors.
Timeslots tickets for visits from 17th May to 20th June 2021 are available to book on Beamish’s website, www.beamish.org.uk. All visitors must pre-book a timeslot as part of the museum’s COVID-19 Secure measures.
We are overjoyed that today Beamish reopened its indoor attractions. Beamish is a charity, and relies on visitors for 95 per cent of its income, so closures due to the coronavirus pandemic over the past year continue to have a huge effect.
Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish’s Deputy Director, said: “We are so looking forward to being able to open our indoor exhibits and attractions and run our 1950s buses from 17th May.
“We’ve been putting a lot of work into getting everything ready and can’t wait to be able to welcome everyone back.
“Beamish is a charity and having to close our doors three times due to the coronavirus pandemic has been extremely difficult and has had a devastating impact. We’re so incredibly grateful for everyone’s ongoing support as we look ahead to our recovery.
“It’s been wonderful to see visitors enjoying the museum grounds over the past few weeks – thanks for supporting us by coming to visit – and we can’t wait to be able to open indoor spaces once again on 17th May.
“We’ve got lots of exciting plans ahead, including being able to run events again, and we’re pressing ahead with our major Remaking Beamish project, which will include the opening of our 1950s Farm, the next stages of our 1950s Town and expansion of our 1820s Landscape.”
Beamish has a range of COVID-19 Secure health and hygiene measures in place across the museum, including pre-booked entry timeslots, enhanced cleaning, social distancing, one-way systems, hand sanitiser points and contactless card payments.
The museum holds the “We’re Good To Go” standard, which is awarded to organisations that are following government and industry guidelines, have a COVID-19 risk assessment and processes to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.
All visitors must pre-book a timeslot online, timeslots for visits from 17th May to 20th June are available to book online.
Beamish will be keeping everyone updated about bookings for dates beyond this as it continues to follow the government’s COVID-19 roadmap.
Beamish is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Find out more about visiting, event dates, and book a timeslot at www.beamish.org.uk.