If you ever visit England....

[Sunland Sare]

...make sure you come up North.

otherwise you'll miss out on this museum:

http://www.beamish.org.uk

its a bit older than the golden era, but well worth a visit, it's fab!

its an open-air museam, set out like a town in 1913, with a village (complete with candy shop, pub, dentists and a bank among other things), a farm, a school (where you can actually take a lesson!), manor house, coal mine etc, all with actors in the period clothing just going out their business.

i love it!

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

That's amazing. One day.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

whoa...i'm there...

 

[Lola Valentine]

I love Beamish! I used to live in Durham when I was wee, and every year Beamish would hold the teddy bears picnic, which I never missed. It's an amazing place. What about Eden Camp in Yorkshire? That place is great too. http://www.edencamp.co.uk/

 

[LadyStardust]

Soooo...if I ever went there, I'd do a little more than visit, you'd have a good job making sure I didn't just stay firmly planted, refusing to leave.

 

[PADDY]

My visit to Beamish...

Forgive the 'dress down day' but there were good reasons 'prior' to this visit that I had to throw on a load of old togs[huh] Typical, on a day that I went to the most lovely of open air museums, like a journey back in time. And I am seriously considering a visit this year in vintage garb and getting some good photos done!! I believe the period is 'Great War' era (of just before) and they have saved old buildings around the northeast of england from demolition, saved them brick-by-brick and reasembled them in this vintage town of the era.

My mum really liked the sweetie shop where 'out back' they still make the boiled sweets which you can sample and buy!! There's even an old working pub too, and stables and a garage and workshop with old model 'Ts' in there and BSA's ..etc.

I know that "Road to Perdition" was set in a later period of the 30's, but, the streets et al. have 'that' feel about it and I could just imagine Mike Sullivan charging out of one of the banks!!

AND..if you haven't noticed already, my mum's the Jean Harlow lady in the photos!! there's no stopping this lady who doesn't believe that she's an Octogenarian!

 

[pennycarrol]

Great photos Paddy!!!! Those places look beautiful!!!! It's a shame but I've never been to England!!!! lol lol!!!! This summer I hope that I will be able to visit some friends in Scotland and England!!!!!

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

That place looks brilliant! I am a big fan of the Weald and Downland Museum in Sussex, which has about 50 houses from the 13th to the 19th century, which were all moved there piece by piece from their original location. Most are complete with furniture, soft furnishings, animals in stables, herb gardens and everything.

I went just after Christmas 06 and each house was set up like it would have been at Yule/Christmas at that time. So there were lovely wreaths and decorations, food to taste, etc. Roasting chestnuts! There are people in costume too. Highly recommended!

 

[Sunland Sare]

I live about 5minutes away, so nearly every school fieldtrip was to Beamish, but I still adore the place.

They always do vintage car shows as well, although I dont think a 1983 VW Golf cuts it there, so I dont participate hehehe

Well, if anyone does end up going, let me know and I can show you the vintage shops round my neck of the woods

 

[imoldfashioned]

Great pictures Paddy! You should go in vintage dress for sure.

Is that a double decker tram in the background of one of your shots? I've never seen one of those.

How large is Beamish? Is it sort of like 1 Main Street or is it like a real town with side streets and such?

 

[Alan Eardley]

I used to do the vintage car shows at Beamish (and also at Crich) before I decided that having one's kneecaps drilled was more fun...

A great place to visit by 'bus, though.
Alan

 

[PADDY]

Dear ImOldFashioned...

Well, it's like a 'real town' with back streets and side streets leading off the main street. It has a park with a bandstand where in the summer brass bands come and play and you can bring your picnic and listen!

There are also the posh houses just outside of the town with farmland which you can walk to. Plus there are people employed there who dress the part and have a story to tell about the house they are living in!! (nooooo, not as bad as those pilgrims you told me about lol - stop giggling!!).

Yes, that's a double decker tram!! and there's a tram driver and little stops you can get on and off at. Also an old original steam train station too. You'd love it but I'm not going to give all the secrets of these places away, otherwise that would spoil your fun.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Fans of trams may want to take in the National Tram Museum at Crich in Derbyshire when in the UK - a bit like Beamish on a considerably smaller scale but with more trams. Blackpool trams are OK but too 'gimmicky' for me.

I would think that the best city for vintage double decker trams that still offer a regular public service is probably Hong Kong - easily the best way to get about.

Alan

 

[She]

..and there's this too. Haworth 40's weekend. It's good that Haworth is now famous for more than just the Brontes and it contains a brilliant vintage clothing and accessories place called the Souk, as well as The Apothecary Shop, home of Rose and Co. England has it all - you just need to know where to look
http://www.haworth-village.org.uk/events/haworth-events/more.asp?event=Haworth 1940s Weekend

 

[Old Rogue]

I visited England for 10 days about 14 years ago. I was there for my job so my sightseeing time was somewhat limited. I did manage to visit London, Bath, Canterbury, Dover and a number of villages around southern England. I didn't know it at the time, but my ancestry traces to Cuckfield in West Sussex. I even have a few very distant cousins still living there. Wish I had been aware of that back then, I would have loved to visit Cuckfield for a homecoming of sorts.

 

[galopede]

In a similar vein there's the Black Country Museum in Dudley, West Midlands, near Birmingham.
Black Country Museum
The village there is around the Dudley Canal and they do canal boat trips into the Dudley tunnel where you can try "legging" the boat through! Not been there for a while so I'm assuming they still do. They also have a coal mine you can go down as well as the village with the shops and pub. There is also a working steam beam engine that pulls water out of the mine.

I've been to both Dudley and Beamish and I'd be hard pushed to choose a favourite. Both are regularly used as film sets!

Gareth

 

[FRASER_NASH]

Must start saving to see some of those gems - sounds like great places.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

There are also the posh houses just outside of the town with farmland which you can walk to. Plus there are people employed there who dress the part and have a story to tell about the house they are living in!! (nooooo, not as bad as those pilgrims you told me about lol - stop giggling!!).

So those people get paid to do first person reenacting? I think I am moving to England for a few years.

 

[Cobden]

I visited England for 10 days about 14 years ago. I was there for my job so my sightseeing time was somewhat limited. I did manage to visit London, Bath, Canterbury, Dover and a number of villages around southern England. I didn't know it at the time, but my ancestry traces to Cuckfield in West Sussex. I even have a few very distant cousins still living there. Wish I had been aware of that back then, I would have loved to visit Cuckfield for a homecoming of sorts.

I was born in (and still live fairly close to) Cuckfield. It's not very exciting!

 

[Puzzicato]

I was planning to stay here for a weekend last year http://www.hshotels.co.uk/hotels/ockenden-manor.html which makes Cuckfield look very nice! Unfortunately it fell through.