Beamish Museum wins national award celebrating the 'greatest visitor experience'

Award winning Beamish Museum has won another accolade after being crowned with the title of national Visitor Welcome Award at the Museums and Heritage Awards 2024.

The Living Museum of the North beat off competition from venues around the country to be named winner of the prestigious award.

The Visitor Welcome Award celebrates “the greatest visitor experience and the most welcoming atmosphere”.

Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish Museum’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious national Visitor Welcome Award, which recognises our first-class visitor experience and the warm welcome from our brilliant team of staff and volunteers. “It’s an honour to receive this award, particularly among such strong competition from fantastic organisations across the country.”

The awards ceremony - which celebrates the best in the world of museums, galleries, and cultural and heritage visitor attractions - took place on Wednesday night (May 15) at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel in London.

Speaking at the event, judges said: “This winning organisation ensures a warm welcome for everyone from the moment they arrive, extending across the entire visitor journey.

“The judges regard it as a benchmark for what the sector should strive to achieve.”

With further attractions due to open this year (2024) as the Remaking Beamish project continues, staff at the museum hope to enhance the visitor experience even further.

Rhiannon said: “We’re looking forward to many more exciting times ahead, with the opening this summer of our 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, along with our Georgian tavern, pottery and self-catering cottages.

“We were delighted to welcome over 801,000 visitors to Beamish last year (2023), as the North East’s most visited attraction.

“We’re proud to be part of our region’s amazing heritage and tourism offer, as an anchor cultural institution.”

Beamish has around 2.5million objects and photographs in its collection, ranging from steam engines and sewing machines to entire buildings.

The museum is nearing completion of its Remaking Beamish project which includes a 1950s Town, 1950s Farm and expansion of the Georgian landscape, including overnight accommodation in self-catering cottages.