Beamish Outdoor Museum ~ Feb 23 ~ part 2

Posted in Adventures, Fuji, Fujifilm X100F, History, museum, photographyTagged , , , , , ,

Details of the museum can be read HERE in Part 1
This week we’re looking at the new bits, that is the 1950’s town. It isn’t finished yet, so far there’s the Front Street Terrace, which is open but will eventually also include a cinema, toy shop, police houses, electrical shop, semi-detached houses and a bowling green and pavilion. 

Visitors can enjoy an ice cream and other traditional treats while listening to 50s tunes on the jukebox at John’s Café, a recreation of a popular café from Wingate in County Durham. The café was owned by Giovanni Baptista Parisella, known locally as John, who was of Italian descent. The menu includes ice cream made in the café, as well as other 1950s favourites including macaroni cheese, hot Bovril and hot Vimto. (Yuck 🥴 )

John’s Café (contax and silversalz)

A new fried fish shop which is a replica of a shop from Middleton St George, near Darlington. Beamish has worked with the community of Middleton St George to create a 1950s-style newspaper on specially-printed paper that is used to wrap the fish and chips.

Middleton’s, serving chips only. (contax and silversalz)

Next to John’s Café is No.2 Front Street and with the red paintwork at the end in the photo, Elizabeth’s Hairdressers.

No.2 is the home of Norman Cornish, which has been recreated, telling the story of the celebrated North East artist and the Spennymoor Settlement (some sort of community thingy with a theatre). Beamish has been working with Norman’s family on recreating the house from Bishop’s Close Street in Spennymoor. Upstairs in the exhibit is an accessible art space with lift, where visitors and groups will be able to take part in arts activities.

At the hairdressers visitors can look the part by getting a 1950s hairstyle, and take their photo under dryers from Beamish’s collection. Elizabeth’s is based on an end-terrace shop from Bow Street in Middlesbrough. Visitors can book an appointment at the salon on the day of their visit on a first come, first served basis, and cost £5. We did not.

Front Street (contax and silversalz)
inside No.2 (fujix100F)
No.2 (fujix100F)
a peek in the pantry (fujiX100F)
No.2 staircase (fujiX100F)

The Hairdresser’s was closed for lunch when we got to it so I just got a shot through the window

Hairdresser’s (fujiX100F)

As well as the street there was a fence up with 50’s advert boards on it

I don’t think you can get Guards Trousers nowadays. I wonder why. (contax and silversalz)

And it seems they’re collecting doors and more advert boards.

Waiting in the wings (contax and silversalz)

That’s it for this week, but

I’ll post some of the older bits next time.

📷 🎞️ 😊

40 thoughts on “Beamish Outdoor Museum ~ Feb 23 ~ part 2”

  1. Well I for one don’t know why you can’t get Guard’s trousers anymore, if she’ll simply love you in them.

    Where are the teddy boys? Weren’t the streets filled with teddy boys in the 1950s?

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  3. What a fabulous place! When I was at school my parents had a fish and chip shop…..newspaper was used for wrapping the fish n chips then – I don’t know why we have lost so many simple and practical things from our lives. Great photos 🙂

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  7. Wonderful! ‘She’ll simply love you when wearing the trousers…’ Lol. (Nice pants though!) In Dutch we have the same expression: ‘de broek aan hebben’, especially when concerned a sturdy woman who, translated, doesn’t let the cheese be eaten from her bread. 🙂 I had to look up Bovril and Vimto. Hot Bovril I somehow can imagine. Hot Vimto clearly not!

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  8. I loved this! I’m surprised they didn’t call the hairdresser a beauty parlor. I’m one of five girls in the family, so growing up we had one of those big hair dryers. Looking forward to next week!

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  9. This is so delightful! I really enjoyed this one – photos and history. BTW, what is a semi-detached house vs a detached house vs terrace? Here we might call houses in older areas that are all connected “row houses” but now they are condominiums. Of course we have apartments. Most houses in the US (in my experience) are singular buildings, but some houses might have 2 or 3 separate units. Curiosity begs an answer!

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  10. My youth in one street. (They still looked much the same until the early 70s) £5 seems very reasonable for a 1950s hairdo. Shame I haven’t got enough hair left. Hot Bovril was a welcome winter drink in my childhood.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  11. I would LOVE to visit this place. My mental wheels are spinning because I also think it would make a great setting for a novel.

    I just got finished watching a sci-fi movie set in the 50’s on Friday night, so this is perfect timing. And I would really like to try some of those Brit fish and chips!

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  16. Pingback: Beamish Outdoor Museum~Feb 2023 ~ part3 – fraggle ~ rocking a camera across the Universe

  17. Beautiful images Fraggle, you always dazzle me with your work and the stories behind the places you explore. It allows me to visit so much more of the world! I’d love to visit someday! Hugs, C

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