
The museum has teamed up with the North East Horticultural Society for this annual event, taking place on the museum’s Events Field, which will see fierce, friendly competition at the museum as a vast array of vegetables, flowers and crafts are put forward to be judged.
Celebrating the North East’s Growing Traditions.
We have a range of classes for 6 years and under, 7-10 years and 11-16 years, including miniature gardens, clippy/proggy mat, and best decorated gingerbread person!
The Beamish Cup is awarded to area teams of Beamish staff and volunteers. It’s very competitive and teams spend all year preparing their items to enter.
Keep an eye out on our social media channels for updates, and to find out who the Beamish Cup Winner 2026 will be.

Opening times:
Open daily, 10am-5pm – Until 23rd October 2026
Until 23rd October 2026 – Open daily, 10am-5pm
Sat 24th Oct – Sun 1st Nov 2026 10am-4pm
Mon 2 Nov – Fri 20th Nov 2026 – Open Wed-Sun, 10am-4pm (closed Mon & Tue)
Sat 21 Nov – Thu 24 Dec 2026 – Open daily, 10am-4pm
Fri 25th Dec 2026: Closed
Sat 26th Dec 2026: Closed
Sun 27th – Thu 31st Dec 2026: Open daily, 10am-4pm
2027
Fri 1st Jan 2027: Closed
Sat 2nd – Sun 3rd Jan 2027: Open weekend only, 10am-4pm
Mon 4th – Fri 22nd Jan 2027: Closed
Sat 23rd – Sun 24th Jan 2027: Open weekend only, 10am-4pm
Mon 25th – Fri 29th Jan 2027: Closed
Sat 30th – Sun 31st Jan 2027: Open weekend only, 10am-4pm
Visitors do not require a timeslot to visit the museum. Please note, last admission is one hour before closing.
Beamish Museum
Beamish
County Durham
DH9 0RG
Entrance Building: what3words///spans.brave.sugar
By Car
From the North and South – Follow the A1M to Junction 63 (Chester-le-Street exit), then the A693 towards Stanley for 4 miles, following the signs.
From the West – Take the A68 to Castleside, near Consett, and follow the Beamish Museum signs along the A692 and A693 via Stanley.
Sat-nav users – our postcode is DH9 0RG.
Charging points for electric vehicles are accessible at the museum’s Entrance car park.
Public Transport
You can travel to Beamish car-free. Find out more on good journey here.
By Bus
Go North East
Durham Explorer
By Train
Our nearest train stations are Chester-le-Street, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
By Bicycle
We have a number of bike racks outside the Entrance building and are well-connected by local cycle routes, including the C2C cycle route.
Please be aware, bikes are left at the Entrance at visitors’ own risk.
Beamish is a large open air museum with many historic buildings, some of which are not always completely accessible to visitors.
To create an authentic feel, there are a variety of ground surfaces, some of which are uneven by nature. There are steep slopes in places, and some buildings and exhibits have stepped access.
We operate a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle every day that the museum is open. This is available on-call and is limited to its seated capacity. It is not operating in general service and is solely available for those who require its adaptations, including the wheelchair lift at the rear of the vehicle. The crew have been inducted and trained to look after you and enable you to enjoy your visit to the museum.
1900s Town
1900s Pit Village
1950s Town
1820s Pockerley
Entrance
Join us for a summer of fun, choose from six adventures, pick up a trail and enjoy a journey through Beamish from the perspective of a person from the past.
Best Foot Forward Walking Group is a short, inclusive and dementia-friendly walk (approximately 1–2 miles) around the museum grounds. We take a relaxed pace, stop regularly to rest, and enjoy the changing scenery. Routes vary week to week.
Bring your little ones along to our Friday weekly playgroup session in the 1950s Welfare Hall, a session for pre-school children and their families.