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  Location within County Durham | |
| Established | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Location | Beamish, Stanley, County Durham, England |
| Coordinates | 54°52′55″N 1°39′30″W / 54.88194°N 1.65833°W |
| Type | Open-air living museum |
| Collection size | 304,000+ objects |
| Visitors | 801,756 in 2023[1] |
| CEO | Rhiannon Hiles |
| Website | www |
Beamish Museum is the first regional open-air museum, in England,[2] located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, in County Durham, England. Beamish pioneered the concept of a living museum.[3] By displaying duplicates or replaceable items, it was also an early example of the now commonplace practice of museums allowing visitors to touch objects.[3]
The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century. Much of the restoration and interpretation is specific to the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, together with portions of countryside under the influence of Industrial Revolution from 1825. On its 350 acres (140 ha) estate it uses a mixture of translocated, original and replica buildings, a large collection of artefacts, working vehicles and equipment, as well as livestock and costumed interpreters.
The museum has received a number of awards since it opened to visitors in 1972 and has influenced other living museums.[citation needed] It is an educational resource, and also helps to preserve some traditional and rare north-country livestock breeds.