Stepping off a tram for a spot of Christmas shopping in the 1900s Town and swapping time zones to make wartime felt decorations at The 1940s Farm will be among the experiences on offer from this weekend as Beamish Museum's festive season gets under way.
Visitors are being invited to step back in time at the County Durham museum to experience the magic of Christmases past and the prospect will no doubt appeal to many people already caught up in frantic planning for the festive season as town and cities become increasingly busy with shoppers and party-goers.
Beamish hosts popular Christmas Evening events, which are always quick to sell out, but it is keen to ensure there is plenty of seasonal spirit to be enjoyed by day-time guests too. And this will include opportunities for people to treat themselves to a 1950s hairdo for the party season and enjoy more of the fifties setting by dropping into Spain’s Field Farm to listen to Christmas stories on the radio and make a Christmas card.
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The festivities get under way this Saturday, November 26 and will continue right up to Christmas Eve. They will include typical celebrations from Georgian and Edwardian times up to the traditions of the 1940s and 1950s. Visitors will be able to see a range of decorations - including those in the miners' cottages in the Pit Village - and enjoy period festive food, crafts and music.
In The 1900s Tow, shops will feature traditional window displays and the houses in Ravensworth Terrace will be festooned in decorations. Market stalls will be selling gifts and Herron’s Bakery - like John's Cafe in the 1950s Town - will be open for festive treats.
Redman Park is to be filled with the sounds of the season with musical performances in the bandstand each weekend, says the museum whose events manager Paul Foster added: “We can’t wait to welcome everyone to join in the Christmas celebrations."
Other attractions will include Christmas Georgian-style at the 1820s Pockerley Old Hall where visitors can discover the history of the yule log and play Georgian games; celebrations in the 1950s Welfare Hall and the old-time fun of the gallopers and helter skelter in the fairground.
Children can also take part in festive crafts each weekend. And an elf trail will be adding an extra touch of magic with their tiny houses available to spot in the museum's Birch Wood and there is an activity trail to follow to help to track down those elves that have escaped to explore the rest of the site.
Father Christmas can be spotted around the site each weekend and during the school holidays and he'll be travelling in style in traditional transport. There also is an opportunity to pre-book to see him in his grotto.
The Christmas Daytime event is included in the cost of admission and is free to Beamish Unlimited Pass holders and Friends of Beamish members. There will be a charge to visit Father Christmas in his grotto, with tickets available to book online subject to availability, and also a small fee for the fairground rides.
Note that Spain's Field Farm will be open weekends and bank holidays only. From Saturday, Beamish Museum will be open 10am-4pm from Wednesday to Sunday until December 16 inclusive and then daily from December 17-24. For more information about what is on offer, including the museum's Twelfth Night Celebrations running from December 27 to January 8, see here.
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