Latest news with #Beamish
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Beamish Museum win sparks joy and happy memories
Congratulations have flooded in to an open-air attraction which has been named museum of the the Living Museum of the North, scooped the £120,000 prize money on its 55th anniversary of its attraction, near Stanley in County Durham, brings to life the history of the region from the 1820s to the 1950s. Fans and regular visitors have been taking to social media to offer congratulations and share memories. Receiving the award, Beamish chief executive Rhiannon Hiles said: "This is just perfect to get us on the map and really, really showcase what we do up in the North East of England." She described the win as absolutely amazing, and praised "our brilliant team".Staff and volunteers had gathered in the 1950s cinema to watch the award ceremony and broke into loud cheers at the they spoke of how thrilled, amazed and overjoyed they described it as a win for the whole of the North East, which "shows what the region is worth". Many others echoed the view that it was a broader win for the Luke Akehurst, whose North Durham constituency covers Beamish, posted on social media: "Congratulations Beamish - the Pride of North Durham."Chris Loughran, chair of Beamish, said: "We're proud to be a place, a space and an anchor for all. "Beamish is the North East's leading visitor attraction but it also is the beating heart of our region's identity and values." The Art Fund Prize was launched in 2008, becoming Museum of the Year in 2013. All of the five finalists this year, which included Chapter in Cardiff and Compton Verney in Warwickshire, were based outside of London. Among the congratulations were people reminiscing, with some taking to social media to talk about repeat visits over the many cases it brought back memories of their grandparents' former colliery homes, with leaded ranges and tin remembered shopping at some of the buildings in their original sites - such as the Co-op in Annfield Plain - before they were dismantled and reconstructed at agreed that it was a well-deserved win. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram
Euronews
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Beamish: Unique open-air attraction named UK's Museum of the Year
A unique open-air museum located in County Durham, UK, has won the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 award. Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, was founded in 1970 by Dr Frank Atkinson CBE, a British museum director and curator. Inspired by Scandinavian folk museums he'd visited in the early '50s, Atkinson wanted to document the vibrant (and fast-declining) industrial communities of North East England. Having received a record number of visitors during 2019 to 2020, the museum managed to survive the impact of its COVID-19 closures by launching online activities and other educational local initiatives. Displaying various replicas from the area's past and brought to life by costumed staff, it's an immersive portal of nostalgia that cradles its community's stories. One of its most impressive and innovative projects is 'Remaking Beamish', which saw tens of thousands of locals assist in recreating a 1950s parade of establishments, including a cinema, toy shop and record store. Awarded £120,000 (€140,676) at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool on Thursday, the Art Fund's judges described Beamish as 'a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community.' Jenny Waldman, director at Art Fund, added: "The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers. "With three quarters of adults in the North East of England saying museums make them proud of where they live, Beamish is a shining example of how museums enrich and celebrate local communities." The other four finalists will each receive £15,000 (€17,580), and include Chapter in Cardiff, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast, Perth Museum in Perth & Kinross, and Compton Verney in Warwickshire. Rebranded to the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2013, it is one of the world's largest (and most lauded) museum prizes, recognising creative excellence while supporting the sectors' integral contributions to community engagement. Previous winners include London's Horniman Museum in 2022, Glasgow's Burrell Collection in 2023 and the Young V&A in 2024. In response to this year's winner, UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the award "recognises the extraordinary contribution that Beamish has made to celebrate the heritage of the North East'. Despite funding cuts significantly impacting museums everywhere, they continue to be sacred spaces for preserving education, cultural identity and social connection. In 2024, independent museums generated an estimated £497 million in direct spending in the UK, according to a report. For International Museum Day on 18 May, the Euronews Culture team selected some of our favourite, lesser-known museums across Europe. It's a reminder of the endlessly creative spirit at the heart of curated attractions - and that if you can't visit Beamish any time soon, there's always the Icelandic Phallological Museum instead... Check out our list here.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Museum of the Year 2025: Beamish, The Living Museum of the North named top attraction
Do you have a favourite museum that you like to go to?Perhaps there is a museum you visited abroad that you love, or are you a big fan of one based in your home town?It comes after an open-air attraction in north-east England picked up this year's Museum of the Year The Living Museum of the North, allows visitors to travel back in time to parts of the 19th and 20th century through a number of interactive forget to let us know what your favourite museum is in the comments below. Beamish Museum is located near the town of Stanley in County Durham. Its aim is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural north-east England from the 1820s through to the museum allows visitors to travel back in time to look around replica towns, villages and working landscapes, meeting costumed staff to experience stories of what it was like to live in those said history was "brought to life" by staff, volunteers and the thousands of objects donated from across the region to recreate life from years gone by. The other shortlisted museums for the award were Chapter (Cardiff), Compton Verney (Warwickshire), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast) and Perth Museum (Perth & Kinross).So, we want to know what YOU you have a favourite museum you like going back to time and time again? If so, what makes it so special?Perhaps there was an exhibition you once visited which you loved? Maybe you learnt an amazing fact?Or have you previously managed to get up close and personal with an interactive experience that was lots of fun?Whatever it is, let us know in the comments below.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North wins Museum Of The Year award
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North has won the Art Fund Museum Of The Year prize for 2025. The open-air museum, in Country Durham, bring north-east England's Georgian, Edwardian and 1940s and 1950s history to life through immersive exhibits. The £120,000 prize was presented to Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of Beamish, by comedian and prize judge Phil Wang, at a ceremony held at the Museum Of Liverpool. Wang, 35, said: 'Beamish is a worthy winner of this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Our visit was one of the most fun days I've had in years. 'An unbelievable level of commitment from staff, and a jaw-dropping amount of detail ran through everything. They had to drag me kicking and screaming out of there!' Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund and chairwoman of the judges for Art Fund Museum Of The Year, added: 'Beamish is a museum brought to life by people – a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community. 'The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers.' In the past year Beamish has completed its Remaking Beamish project, which has seen the recreation of a 1950s town and 1950s farm. In 2024 they opened a 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, as well as a Georgian tavern. The museum, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, was in a list of finalists that comprised Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross. Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the prize and the 2025 edition recognises activities that took place from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. The judges were tasked with identifying impactful projects and looking at the overall achievements of the organisations.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North wins Museum Of The Year award
The £120,000 prize was presented to Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of Beamish, by comedian and prize judge Phil Wang, at a ceremony held at the Museum Of Liverpool. Beamish offers immersive exhibits (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) Wang, 35, said: 'Beamish is a worthy winner of this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Our visit was one of the most fun days I've had in years. 'An unbelievable level of commitment from staff, and a jaw-dropping amount of detail ran through everything. They had to drag me kicking and screaming out of there!' Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund and chairwoman of the judges for Art Fund Museum Of The Year, added: 'Beamish is a museum brought to life by people – a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community. 'The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers.' In the past year Beamish has completed its Remaking Beamish project, which has seen the recreation of a 1950s town and 1950s farm. Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North, is an open-air museum in County Durham (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) In 2024 they opened a 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, as well as a Georgian tavern. The museum, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, was in a list of finalists that comprised Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross. Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the prize and the 2025 edition recognises activities that took place from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. The judges were tasked with identifying impactful projects and looking at the overall achievements of the organisations.
