Bellingham Heritage Centre
Bellingham Heritage Centre
4.5
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Heritage Centre tells the stories of the people of the North Tyne and Rede valleys through text, imagery, sound and, of course, objects. Our displays present the social, agricultural and industrial history of the area as well as a small section about the earlier Border Reivers. We opened in 1994 in a former garage on the main street in the village and renovated a redundant depot in Station Yard in 2000. Funding in 2008 allowed us to extend the centre to incorporate the Stannersburn Smithy and a new farming gallery. In 2011, another grant from the Heritage Lottery helped us buy two historic railway carriages which volunteers restored and fitted out as a tea room and a flexible learning space. We rely entirely on volunteers to run the Centre as we don’t receive any local or government funding. Admissions, sales, donations and bequests help us to preserve our heritage and share it with visitors.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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  • cloggygirl
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom44 contributions
    Fantastic museum
    A wee gem of a place, staff very friendly and engaging, our children loved the hunt the sheep and "tricky" find the animal activities as well as all the hands on exhibits. We'd done a few well known museums bu this point on our stay but this is the one our children are still talking about! A great way to find out about this beautiful part of the world.
    Visited April 2023
    Written April 14, 2023
  • Victoria W
    4 contributions
    Well worth a visit
    What a lovely place to visit. Very friendly and interesting history and memorabilia. Nice gift shop and fantastic cafe on the train. Homemade food which was brilliant and gluten free bread too. Well worth a visit.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 17, 2023
  • sandra clifford
    Nottingham, United Kingdom82 contributions
    Great afternoon out.
    Really great place to visit. A lot of work has gone into making the Centre very informative and nteresting. We went for "Tea on the Train" and that was lovely. Two old railway carraiges on original track and fabulous cakes to go with the nice cup of tea!!!!! Bellingham is a great place tp visit too.
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 19, 2023
  • Lucy P
    2 contributions
    A great place to visit for all ages
    We discovered this heritage centre by chance and were pleasantly surprised at the fantastic curation of the local social history and story telling. We were a group of three generations and there is something for everyone, interactive experiences including options for dressing up, a small mining tunnel to crawl through, train set toys to play with, recorded history to listen to and detailed information boards to read. We also enjoyed the find the sheep and squirrel trail. The volunteers are very welcoming and friendly to visitors of all ages, with lots of knowledge, clearly passionate about their exhibitions and the local Northumbrian history. For such a small centre it packs a big punch! So much so we’ve visited twice. Good to tie in with a visit to Tea on the train next door. No fixed entry fee for your visit but would recommend a donation to this great centre. Thank you to all involved!
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 1, 2023
  • 380Richard483
    Salisbury, United Kingdom95 contributions
    What a find!
    To be honest, we stopped here just to use the toilets having had a cup of tea in the adjoining railway cafe! Upon arrival we were welcomed by a retired couple who were on duty, and the gentleman proceeded to point at all the areas of interest in the heritage centre: railway, mining, photography, agriculture, village life, and a lot more. So much in such a relatively small museum. Due to other commitments we stayed just an hour; had we known about the place beforehand we could and would have stayed half a day. Outstanding little place, with plenty for adults and plenty for children, too. It is free to go round, although they do ask for a donation which we willingly gave. A must-do place if you are in Bellingham. Absolutely ideal for children of all ages, and dog-friendly.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 2, 2023
  • Happy Hobbit
    Basingstoke, United Kingdom402 contributions
    Wonderful local indoor attraction
    Really excellent indoor attraction in an area that's mostly about Hadrian's Wall and the countryside. There's loads of interest, from local history, railway memorabilia to some rather ghoulish photos, and the staff are rightly proud of what they've achieved and eager to show you some of the quirkier exhibits. The tea room was also excellent, and I understand this is due for an exciting upgrade in October. We'd definitely go back.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 16, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.5
126 reviews
Excellent
88
Very good
29
Average
8
Poor
0
Terrible
1

380Richard483
Salisbury, UK95 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
To be honest, we stopped here just to use the toilets having had a cup of tea in the adjoining railway cafe! Upon arrival we were welcomed by a retired couple who were on duty, and the gentleman proceeded to point at all the areas of interest in the heritage centre: railway, mining, photography, agriculture, village life, and a lot more. So much in such a relatively small museum. Due to other commitments we stayed just an hour; had we known about the place beforehand we could and would have stayed half a day. Outstanding little place, with plenty for adults and plenty for children, too. It is free to go round, although they do ask for a donation which we willingly gave. A must-do place if you are in Bellingham. Absolutely ideal for children of all ages, and dog-friendly.
Written September 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jo P
Bedford, UK130 contributions
Aug 2021
This heritage centre has collected local historical information, some of which is still within living memory, as demonstrated by the two staff on duty who commented on different exhibits.
There are audio descriptions of many of the exhibits, and, being spoken by local people have an integrity about them. Where else would you hear about Grandma who so detested the smell of the pig killing that she stuffed mint leaves up her nose!!
The first area of the centre houses a changing display, and I saw an interesting one on local photographers.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for reviewing us on Trip advisor, your review is importsnt to us and very helpful, thank you
Written July 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

cloggygirl
Aberdeen, UK44 contributions
Apr 2023
A wee gem of a place, staff very friendly and engaging, our children loved the hunt the sheep and "tricky" find the animal activities as well as all the hands on exhibits.

We'd done a few well known museums bu this point on our stay but this is the one our children are still talking about!

A great way to find out about this beautiful part of the world.
Written April 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Howard-Liverpool
Liverpool, UK3,136 contributions
May 2021
Great centre very well laid out incredibly neat and a good range of info. The member of staff was quite superb and she was learning!. A great little museum and tea shop next door in railway carriages
Written May 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for reviewing us on Trip advisor, your review is importsnt to us and very helpful, thank you
Written July 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Victoria W
4 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
What a lovely place to visit. Very friendly and interesting history and memorabilia. Nice gift shop and fantastic cafe on the train. Homemade food which was brilliant and gluten free bread too. Well worth a visit.
Written June 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

laurag88911
Northumberland, UK3 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
Staff were so friendly & very knowledgable. The gentleman that works there is fantastic with children & makes everyone feel so welcome. Definitely worth a visit. Lots of interesting artefacts, learned a lot during our visit. Dogs are also welcome.
Written October 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for a wonderful review. We are all volunteers and this makes our day. Steve
Written October 28, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Happy Hobbit
Basingstoke, UK402 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Really excellent indoor attraction in an area that's mostly about Hadrian's Wall and the countryside. There's loads of interest, from local history, railway memorabilia to some rather ghoulish photos, and the staff are rightly proud of what they've achieved and eager to show you some of the quirkier exhibits. The tea room was also excellent, and I understand this is due for an exciting upgrade in October. We'd definitely go back.
Written September 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sandra clifford
Nottingham, UK82 contributions
Jun 2023
Really great place to visit. A lot of work has gone into making the Centre very informative and nteresting. We went for "Tea on the Train" and that was lovely. Two old railway carraiges on original track and fabulous cakes to go with the nice cup of tea!!!!! Bellingham is a great place tp visit too.
Written June 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kikelmool
Birtley, UK212 contributions
Jul 2013 • Friends
An excellent volunteer-run museum of country life with exhibits about local iron works and coal mining, long-lost railways, farming, photography, schools, etc. Its small but can easily occupy 2 hours of your time, and its worthwhile ending your visit with a cream cake and drink in the Carriage Café.
Written July 3, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lizcooke1
Chesterfield, UK43 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
Very helpful staff, provided us with excellent info on the area. The centre is also right next door to a lovely tearooms - Carriages - which is well worth a visit!
Written May 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Bellingham Heritage Centre - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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Bellingham Heritage Centre is open:
  • Wed - Sun 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM




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