Beamish

Beamish Museum is England's first regional open-air museum and is located in Beamish, near Stanley in County Durham. The notion of a living museum was invented by Beamish. It was also an early example of the now usual practice of museums enabling people to touch exhibits by showing replicas or interchangeable pieces.

The museum's guiding premise aims to maintain an example of daily life in urban and rural North East England at the early twentieth century's peak of the industry. Much of the restoration and interpretation dates from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, as well as areas of the countryside that were influenced by the industrial revolution beginning in 1825. It employs a mix of translocated, original, and replica buildings, a significant collection of antiquities, functional vehicles and equipment, animals, and costumed interpreters on its 350-acre (140-hectare) estate. Since its inception in 1972, the museum has garnered several honors and has influenced other living museums. It serves as an instructional tool while also assisting in the preservation of several historic and endangered northern cattle breeds.

Location: Regional Resource Centre, Beamish, County Durham DH9 0RG

Website: beamish.org.uk