Beamish Museum

Having a Bachelor’s Degree in art history, I absolutely loved the Beamish Museum. It’s a living museum, meaning that all their hired employees dress and act the part. In this case, depending on where they’re stationed, they’re from the early 1800s or the early 1900s. 

I loved seeing the printing press in action. I interned for one when I graduated college. It’s quite the dying art, but that’s why it’s so special. Watching someone bake cookies from scratch was also delightful. More delightful was eating them hot from the oven once they were through baking. 

The Georgian part of town was most interesting. We learned that people from this era were superstitious and so never slept laying down. In fact, their beds were often too small to fully lay down in! They hid people in these homes - I believe they were Jacobites (but I could be wrong). The steps leading up to this home were purposely broken to assure that if you didn’t belong to the property, you would get hurt while trying to snoop it. 

On a lighter note, they had a live band playing in the gazebo that afternoon. We enjoyed pasties, tea, and biscuits while sitting in the grass and listening to the music from the time. It felt very fitting.

I recall drinking many cups of tea and eating many scones and pasties in the grass while traveling in England. I wish we utilized our parks more in California. We’re missing out.