Inside Beamish Museum's new self-catering cottages with chief operating officer, Samantha Shotton

Transcript

00:00Samantha, we're down here at the two new self-catering cottages at Beamish Museum.

00:05Can you talk us through the project?

00:07Yeah, well, we're so excited. These cottages actually formed part of a larger project called Remake in Beamish,

00:12which included our New 50s area and our Drovers Tavern.

00:15But what's really interesting about these two cottages is there was a building here, an original Georgian building,

00:20and what we've done is sort of raised it up and saved it,

00:23but put it back in a way that actually visitors can come and have a new experience of Beamish, see it in a whole new light.

00:29And we've used so much curatorial detail to make sure that they really have got those Georgian elements to make it as immersive as it can be.

00:37But we've also hidden a few mod cons. So if you're here for the comfort, you've got that as well.

00:42And it's up to you how far you want to go.

00:44But what's really, really exciting about these is we've worked with a lot of partners.

00:48And in County Durham, we know there's a shortage of accommodation, so we're able to add to that.

00:53But also when we talk to our visitors, people have been telling us for years,

00:56they love to stay at Beamish and this is their first opportunity to do so.

00:59It also helps us just sustain ourselves as an independent museum.

01:03So all of the good work that we do in our health and wellbeing space and our education space,

01:07this is going to help us to do that.

01:09But we hope that they're a unique experience and it's something that you won't have been able to do

01:14and you won't have seen Beamish like this before.

01:16And remaking Beamish has been a massive project. What's the response been like?

01:20It's been overwhelming. We're so excited to see how people have taken to it.

01:24And having covered a few eras as well in our 1950s, for example,

01:28we're seeing multi-generational families come here and really tell those stories

01:32and connect and we're all about connecting people.

01:34But also the response to our Georgian development, such as our Drover's Tavern,

01:38which showcases Georgian fair and lets you sit in that lovely environment,

01:42has gone down really well as well.

01:44And I think people are really looking at the Georgian era now and really appreciating it.

01:48Here, this Pockery Hall was here.

01:51So actually it's always been here and we've always held that part on this Drover's Route.

01:55So to be able to tell those stories and let people pick up on that a bit more as well,

01:59has been absolutely fantastic.

02:01And Beamish Hall is such a special place in people's hearts, doesn't it?

02:05It is.

02:06The response you get from visitors must be great.

02:08Oh, you know what? Our visitors are so supportive and we absolutely love that.

02:11We always say that everything we do is for the people in the communities and the visitors we serve

02:15and we're all about putting people at the forefront.

02:18And what's fantastic is we're seeing that come back in our feedback and people are really enjoying it.

02:22And I'm hoping when they see these cottages as well,

02:24they'll see it's an extension of what we do well and hopefully really take to them.

02:28MUSIC