A welcome boost of £150,000 for Beamish Museum will help support the next stage of its ambitious development work which includes providing overnight accommodation and a tavern for visitors.
The new funding comes from the Sir James Knott Trust and will be spent on the next phase of the museum's Remaking Beamish project which includes a focus on Georgian cottage industry.
These plans mean future visitors will be able to visit the likes of a pottery and a blacksmith's workshop, enjoy refreshments at a drover's tavern and tap room and even book in for overnight stays on the County Durham site.
Read more: See behind the scenes at Beamish Musem's new 1950s Town
Beamish Museum says it is "hugely grateful" for the grant from the Trust, which is an example of its support for the region's culture and heritage, and the boost comes as County Durham is bidding to become UK City of Culture 2025.
It will all add up to an enhanced experience for visitors with the provision of overnight accommodation in particular set to have huge appeal.
This will involve bringing back into use some existing buildings, which are original to the site and date from the late 18th and early 19th Century.
Situated within the museum’s Georgian landscape, they will be turned into period-style self-catering cottages.
The Georgian development, due to be completed in 2023, is on a former droving route and the museum will tell this story of the drovers who moved livestock up and down the country, taking shelter and refreshments at taverns which were often incorporated into farmsteads.
It's part of the £20million Remaking Beamish project - the biggest in the museum's 52-year history - which also includes its new 1950s Town; a 1950s Farm and transport, with a bus depot. The developments also create new jobs.
Sally Dixon, Beamish’s assistant director of partnerships and communications, said the Georgian development is the latest of a number of projects to recieve funding over the years from the Sir James Knott Trust during its long-standing relationship with the museum.
"They have been instrumental in helping the museum to develop into the robust, resilient position it is in today," she said.
"We are hugely grateful for their support."
She added: “The Trust’s latest grant will enable the museum to tell a more rounded story of everyday working life during Georgian times and, crucially, welcome visitors to stay overnight - generating income which goes back to the charity.
"We are thrilled that the Trust is so supportive of both the museum and Durham 2025. "
Jo Curry, secretary of the Trust which also supports charitable work, said the Sir James Knott Trust recognises that County Durham has a rich heritage that is worth celebrating and, with its own focus upon creating a better future for the region, it is "excited" about the City of Culture bid.
"We want to do what we can to make it a success."
County Durham is one of eight long-listed locations bidding to be named UK City of Culture 2025 and Beamish is one of the organisations within Culture Durham which is involved in the local campaign, alongside Durham County Council and Durham University.
The bid is to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by the beginning of February and short-listing is due in March with an overall winner expected to be announced in May.
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