Beamish: Unique open-air attraction named UK's Museum of the Year
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
9 hours ago
- Euronews
New London comedy play takes on the battle to cast James Bond
A new play in London takes a comedic look at the high stakes casting of the new James Bond, bringing laughs to the biggest reveal in Hollywood. The main character, Deborah, is a fictionalised version of veteran Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, though as the play's star, Tanya Franks, points out, "We're absolutely not allowed to say that!" Deborah is about to unveil her perfect pick, a new 007 to reinvigorate the franchise, when her future star is hit by a career-ending scandal and the hashtags #DrNoConsent and #Moonraper start to trend. She and her co-producer cousin Malcolm (Philip Bretherton) and "mediocre nepo baby" son Quinn (Harry Goodson-Bevan) must scramble to find a replacement who will please both the focus groups and the financiers. But how does the white, philandering misogynistic killer of Ian Fleming's novels fit into today's world? Her son finds Theo (Obioma Ugoala), a Black actor who seems like a great fit for the world's most famous spy. But he is gay, and wants to bring his fiancé to events. Deborah must choose between the slick, suited formula the world knows, or another, more progressive version of the global icon. "The spectrum of casting has changed dramatically, fantastically so, and for the absolute right reasons. So I think this is a product where we can say, has it been left behind? And that's exactly the questions that we throw up," Franks told AP. "And certainly there are many social issues and issues within the casting environment that do certainly get debated in this to a certain extent, but in a very comic fashion." The last James Bond movie - and the final one for Daniel Craig - No Time to Die, was released in fall 2021, and the real-life producers of the franchise have not announced his replacement. "It becomes perhaps curiously this sort of referendum on British identity - you know, what is it to be British now, what is it to be a spy now, to want to serve your country. And I think that's the interesting thing," said Ugoala. "I think it could be anybody. And I think that I'd be really interested in perhaps like a South Asian actor as a Bond. I think it's more than sort of black and white. I think British identity is so much more than that," he added. 'A Role To Die For' written by Jordan Waller and directed by Olivier Award winner Derek Bond (no relation), runs at Marylebone Theatre in London until 30 August.
Fashion Network
10 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Topshop's first UK wholesale partner revealed -- it's Liberty
Topshop doesn't seem to have put a foot wrong as it's hit the comeback trail this year and following its headline-grabbing runway show at the weekend we now know the name of its first UK wholesale partner. It's high-end London department store Liberty. Not that the company released this news officially at first. Instead, an Instagram post shows a rail of Topshop clothing being wheeled along with a glimpse of a mock- Tudor building and a W1 postcode in the background. This could be no other store than Liberty, just off London's Regent Street. The company later confirmed the link-up with more information. The women's and men's collections launch there on 28 August with the companies saying that for Liberty, 'it reinforces a commitment to championing creativity, cultural relevance and emerging talent. For Topshop and Topman, it's a dynamic return to the high street — offering a new space for discovery, connection and style'. 'Through Topshop and Topman, we want to bring the best of fashion to everyone,' said Topshop MD Michelle Wilson. 'Liberty [is] a brand that shares our passion for creativity, nurturing talent and pushing boundaries. This launch is about reconnecting with our community in real life, and we're excited to kick things off with a full Liberty atrium takeover.' Meanwhile Liberty's buying and merchandising director, Lydia King, said: 'We've always been about discovery — curating the most exciting talent and ideas under one roof. Partnering with Topshop and Topman brings a new layer to that experience: it's a meeting point of two iconic British names, both with deep roots in London style, a stone's throw from Oxford Street. This residency celebrates the city's creativity and energy, offering our customers something unexpected. Which we love to do.' As well as the clothes, we're told 'the launch will feature immersive visualmoments throughout the Liberty atrium, celebrating the creative spirit and future-facing energy of both brands'. Being stocked in a prestige location like Liberty underlines Topshop's close London connections that are being emphasised in its relaunch. But it also underlines how much kudos the brand still has and how well the Topshop (and not forgetting Topman) comebacks are being managed by the team at ASOS. After all, Topshop has always been essentially a mass-market fashion brand (albeit a trend-led one) and its pricing means it still is, while the fashion labels available at Liberty are in a much higher price bracket. The company has also linked up with some strong international stockists including Irish department stores McElhinneys and Shaws, Printemps in France and Denmark's Magasin du Nord. As we said, it hasn't put a foot wrong so far from teaser campaigns to one-day pop-ups, a relaunched webstore, a Cara Delevingne collab and a Traflgar Square runway show. The hardest task comes next though — selling a large number of clothes. It's unclear how much information we'll get on how it's going on this front with the next set of ASOS results (due in mid-October) as the company now holds only a minority stake after selling control to Heartland, the investment vehicle of Bestseller 's owner. But with ASOS still managing the brand, fingers crossed it will be prepared to share what it must hope will be good news.
Fashion Network
10 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Topshop's first UK wholesale partner revealed -- it's Liberty
Topshop doesn't seem to have put a foot wrong as it's hit the comeback trail this year and following its headline-grabbing runway show at the weekend we now know the name of its first UK wholesale partner. It's high-end London department store Liberty. Not that the company released this news officially at first. Instead, an Instagram post shows a rail of Topshop clothing being wheeled along with a glimpse of a mock- Tudor building and a W1 postcode in the background. This could be no other store than Liberty, just off London's Regent Street. The company later confirmed the link-up with more information. The women's and men's collections launch there on 28 August with the companies saying that for Liberty, 'it reinforces a commitment to championing creativity, cultural relevance and emerging talent. For Topshop and Topman, it's a dynamic return to the high street — offering a new space for discovery, connection and style'. 'Through Topshop and Topman, we want to bring the best of fashion to everyone,' said Topshop MD Michelle Wilson. 'Liberty [is] a brand that shares our passion for creativity, nurturing talent and pushing boundaries. This launch is about reconnecting with our community in real life, and we're excited to kick things off with a full Liberty atrium takeover.' Meanwhile Liberty's buying and merchandising director, Lydia King, said: 'We've always been about discovery — curating the most exciting talent and ideas under one roof. Partnering with Topshop and Topman brings a new layer to that experience: it's a meeting point of two iconic British names, both with deep roots in London style, a stone's throw from Oxford Street. This residency celebrates the city's creativity and energy, offering our customers something unexpected. Which we love to do.' As well as the clothes, we're told 'the launch will feature immersive visualmoments throughout the Liberty atrium, celebrating the creative spirit and future-facing energy of both brands'. Being stocked in a prestige location like Liberty underlines Topshop's close London connections that are being emphasised in its relaunch. But it also underlines how much kudos the brand still has and how well the Topshop (and not forgetting Topman) comebacks are being managed by the team at ASOS. After all, Topshop has always been essentially a mass-market fashion brand (albeit a trend-led one) and its pricing means it still is, while the fashion labels available at Liberty are in a much higher price bracket. The company has also linked up with some strong international stockists including Irish department stores McElhinneys and Shaws, Printemps in France and Denmark's Magasin du Nord. As we said, it hasn't put a foot wrong so far from teaser campaigns to one-day pop-ups, a relaunched webstore, a Cara Delevingne collab and a Traflgar Square runway show. The hardest task comes next though — selling a large number of clothes. It's unclear how much information we'll get on how it's going on this front with the next set of ASOS results (due in mid-October) as the company now holds only a minority stake after selling control to Heartland, the investment vehicle of Bestseller 's owner. But with ASOS still managing the brand, fingers crossed it will be prepared to share what it must hope will be good news.
