1950s Town, Beamish Museum

Back at Beamish, we jumped on a bus to visit 1950s town. This is a new attraction for the museum. When we were here a few weeks ago, they were still building the houses! Now, it is largely complete, although the cinema, toy shop, and electrical shop are not open yet.

The town tells the story of everyday life in the post-war period. The 1950s was a time of change and rebuilding after the Second World War, including social housing, the early years of the National Health Service, and changes to people's lifestyle, which for the first time might have included leisure time!

Many of the exhibits were very familiar to both of us, having grown up in the 60s and 70s.

Our first stop was at the Leasingham Colliery Welfare Hall and Community Centre, a replica of the hall built near Bishop Auckland in 1957. Here people would have taken part in a range of activities including dancing, crafts, Meccano, beetle drives, keep fit, and amateur dramatics. The hall would also have been home to NHS clinics.

Opposite the hall is Coronation Park which includes a miniature golf course, giant draughts board, and children's playground.Read more