Pictures from mid-April…
Attic bedroom in one of the miner’s cottages, set in the early 1900s, and brought to Beamish from Hetton-le-Hole.
Methodist chapel from Beamish village.
An unusual “coffee pot” steam engine in which the boiler is mounted vertically rather than horizontally.
Winding engine (R) and chart of “raps” used by the winding man to communicate with miners at the lift shaft (L).
Collection of miners’ lamps. Even with the development of safety lamps, gas explosions and mine collapses were a constant danger.
Grocer’s shop. Goods were often packaged in distinctive colours (e.g. blue for sugar) as many customers were illiterate – indeed shops themselves often had particular symbols e.g. a teapot indicating a grocer’s shop.
Beamish was holding a steam fair that weekend, with exhibits including steam-powered cars (L), traction engines (R) and even a steam-powered carousel (bottom)!
Durham
Pictures from a walk along with Wear.
Kingsgate bridge (L) and Elvet Bridge (R). Elvet Bridge was built in 1160 and the remains of a former chapel can be seen on the right.
View across to the bandstand on the former racecourse (L) and the Wear upstream at Maiden Castle (R).
Night view of Durham Cathedral.