PREPARATIONS are underway for a museum to reopen its buses and many of indoor attractions on Monday.

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, reopened its outdoor areas last month but is now getting ready to open more fully. 

The open air museum will open the doors to as many of its period exhibits and buildings as possible – including the Edwardian dentist, Co-op, chemist, bank and band hall – from May 17, under Step 3 of the government’s Covid-19 roadmap.  

Beamish’s 1950s buses will be running once again and visitors will also be able to enjoy table service in the tea rooms in the 1900s Town.

Davy’s fish and chip shop, Jubilee Confectioners sweet shop, Herron’s Bakery and The Sun Inn, which are currently open for takeaway treats, will continue to welcome visitors.

Timeslots tickets for visits from May 17 to June 20 are available to book on Beamish’s website, www.beamish.org.uk.

All visitors must pre-book a timeslot as part of the museum’s Covid-19 secure measures.

Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish’s deputy director, said: “We are so looking forward to being able to open our indoor exhibits and attractions and run our 1950s buses from 17th May.

“We’ve been putting a lot of work into getting everything ready and can’t wait to be able to welcome everyone back.

“Beamish is a charity and having to close our doors three times due to the coronavirus pandemic has been extremely difficult and has had a devastating impact. We’re so incredibly grateful for everyone’s ongoing support as we look ahead to our recovery.

“It’s been wonderful to see visitors enjoying the museum grounds over the past few weeks – thanks for supporting us by coming to visit – and we can’t wait to be able to open indoor spaces once again on 17th May.

“We’ve got lots of exciting plans ahead, including being able to run events again, and we’re pressing ahead with our major Remaking Beamish project, which will include the opening of our 1950s farm, the next stages of our 1950s town and expansion of our 1820s landscape.”

Beamish has a range of Covid-19 secure health and hygiene measures in place across the museum, including pre-booked entry timeslots, enhanced cleaning, social distancing, one-way systems, hand sanitiser points and contactless card payments.

The museum holds the “We’re Good To Go” standard, which is awarded to organisations that are following government and industry guidelines, have a Covid-19 risk assessment and processes to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

Find out more about visiting, event dates, and book a timeslot at www.beamish.org.uk.