Beamish ready to welcome people back to the past as it opens its outdoor areas from April 12

The County Durham open air museum is able to open its grounds only under step two of the Government’s Covid-19 roadmap.

Visitors will be able to explore the museum and enjoy takeaway treats, including from Davy’s fish and chip shop, Herron’s Bakery and Jubilee Confectioners, take a ride at the Fairground, do a spot of Edwardian shopping at The 1900s Town stall and complete the family flower trail around the grounds.

Under the latest rules, the museum cannot yet open its indoor attractions and buildings, or run its transport, with the exception of the wheelchair accessible bus, which will be operating on an on-call basis.

Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish’s Deputy Director, said: “We are so pleased to be welcoming visitors back to Beamish and are really looking forward to seeing people enjoying the grounds around the open air museum site.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the museum, while closed we have been keeping costs to a minimum but there has still been the care and welfare of our animals to consider, as well as the upkeep of the museum, and we are very grateful for all the funding and support received up to now.

“The feedback from visitors has been phenomenal and it is clear that Beamish has a special place in the region’s heart.

“We are really grateful for everyone’s ongoing support and are looking forward to reopening on Monday, with the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers remaining our top priority as always.”

Beamish is a charity, with 95% of income coming from its visitors, including tickets, catering and retail, and the pandemic continues to have a severe effect on the museum.

Last week it was awarded £585,000 from the £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund lowing the impact of the crisis.

It has introduced Covid-19 secure health and hygiene measures, including booked timeslot entry, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, hand sanitiser stations, one-way systems and contactless card payments.

The museum has been awarded the “We’re Good To Go” standard for organisations following Government and industry guidelines.

All visitors must book a timeslot online in advance, and can book for visits from Monday up to Sunday, May 16.

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