Building history at museum
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS NEEDED FOR BEAMISH PROJECT
Construction workers are needed to help make history with an £18million museum project.
Beamish Museum is looking for highly-skilled and time-served construction workers to join the project.
Tradespeople, including bricklayers, stonemasons, general labourers, joiners, electricians and plumbers, are being asked to get in touch if they’d like to work on the Remaking Beamish project, the largest in the museum’s 48-year history.
Construction apprenticeships will also be created, with the opportunity to learn alongside skilled mentors.
Work is under way on the development, which will see 30 new exhibits added in a 1950’s town, 1950’s farm, and expansion of the Georgian Landscape, including a coaching inn, where visitors can stay overnight.
Up to 30 tradespeople will be working on four building sites at any one time, and will be employed as part of the museum’s inhouse buildings team.
Michelle Lagar, Remaking Beamish Project Officer (Skills), said: “We’re looking for qualified and experienced local tradespeople who would like the opportunity to work on this unique project.
“Our in-house buildings team have extensive experience in creating historical and modern buildings but, to deliver a project of this size, we need to grow our construction capacity.
“We’re looking for flexible tradespeople with extensive experience of working on large multi-site building projects. We’d like to hear from people who have an eye for quality and attention to detail and are available for short and long-term contracts.”
The Remaking Beamish project is expected to create nearly 100 new jobs, and training opportunities, including up to 50 apprenticeships.
An extra 100,000 tourists are set to be attracted to the region. The museum will remain open.
Thanks to the money raised by National Lottery players, the project has been awarded £10.9million by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The 1950’s town will feature a cinema – being moved from Sunderland – community centre, homes, shops, cafe, bowling green and fish and chip shop.
Aged miners’ homes will provide a dedicated centre for older people, including those living with dementia.
Artist Norman Cornish’s former home will be recre- ated, including the studio he donated to the museum, and Spain’s Field Farm, from Weardale, has been de-constructed and will be rebuilt at Beamish to tell the story of rural life in the 1950s.
The expansion of the 1820s landscape will also include a recreation of murdered Joe the Quilter’s cottage.
A trolleybus system and restored buses will transport visitors, while a Northern General bus depot will support Beamish’s work to pass on heritage engineering skills.
The building project will take place over the next three to four years.