Arriving at Beamish Outdoor Museum.

From my park up at Durham Services I drove straight to Beamish Outdoor Museum, it's not far from Stanley, a few miles off the motorway at junction 63. It opens at 10am and I was early, so I got a pan of water warmed up and made some porridge. Snacks in the backpack and off I went. People had started arriving so I waited for the queue to die down , then went to the entrance. It looks like the steps down is the way to get in. Maybe it was at one time, but you have to walk to the side and follow the tarmac footpath. 

 

There are part time jobs available here. All employees have to wear period costume. It adds to the friendliness of the place. They are happy to answer any questions and chat. I took advantage of this and had some lovely conversations.

 

There are several pay desks, and I am pleased to say, two of them are designated as accepting cash. I was asked for my postcode and when I queried why, the man said so he can issue a ticket which would be valid for a whole year. I said I wouldn't be coming again, so then he gave me a day ticket. He didn't need my postcode for that. 

A very big gift shop on the left hand side of the hall.

To get around the site you can catch a tram or a vintage bus, or of course use your legs.  There is a continuous loop around the whole site, which has spur paths off it to see the different areas. Easy to walk around the whole site. I had a lift on the double decker bus to start with, just to get a feel of the layout, then spent the rest of the day walking. 

First building I walked into was the Dentist. The waiting room had No Smoking signs everywhere. 

The erm dentist, ha ha no, revealed he was a Banker before he retired. He was a friendly chap. 

Choose your own teeth and they will make them up into a lovely set of falsies. 

Instruments of torture. Takes me back to my childhood when I was forced to go to the dentist. He came to the school every so often and used the Church Hall next door as a surgery. It was very scary, put me off going for many years after that. 

Gas and air equipment for extractions. 

There were lots of small back to back cottages to explore. 

What a beautiful bathroom.  Love the lavvy seat and the wall tiles. 

The ceramic hot water bottle on the bed, and the fireplace in the bedroom.  

Oh how grand this room is. 

Everybody wants a Range these days. My Grandma had one of those drying racks hanging above the coal fire in the kitchen. 

This is the Town Centre. Let's have a look at the shops. 

The Hardware Store. Stocks just about everything you need for the home.  

Haberdashery for all your sewing needs. 

The Grocery Store. 

There was a lovely smell coming from the Sweet Shop. I had to ask what it was. They had made a batch of sarsaparilla boiled sweets. I bought a quarter of a pound, she weighed them out into a paper bag. 

The kitchen is right next to the shop. You can watch how they make them. 

I've got more pics to come from this visit, so I will split them into two posts. Come back tomorrow for the rest of them. If you click on a pic a slide show will come up in another window. 

Thanks for popping in. Have a great weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona