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Inside museum's weird and wonderful archive

BBC Dan Hudachek wearing a green jumper and glasses. He is holding a 1928 bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale. In the background are shelves filled with objects and photographs. BBC
Dan Hudachek said the museum had to be "selective" over the donations it accepted

A museum charting 20th Century life has revealed some of the weird and wonderful objects in its huge archives and which are rarely seen by the public.

Beamish Museum in County Durham holds more than 2.5 million items which showcase the lives of the people of north-east England.

Earlier this month, the open-air museum opened the doors to its vast collection rooms to the BBC.

Collections head Dan Hudachek said the museum was always looking to add to its exhibits but had to be "very selective" about what to accept.

The collection was started in the 1950s by Bowes Museum curator Frank Atkinson.

The objects stored in the Beamish collection rooms are unlikely to make it into its public exhibits, said Mr Hudachek, and instead have largely been collected for archival purposes.

As he walked the BBC through three large rooms with dozens of floor to ceiling shelves, he described the assortment as wide and esoteric.

There are old washing machines, bikes, clocks, film reels, mining banners, personal letters and even one man's extensive Marilyn Monroe memorabilia collection.

Large shelves holding washing machines from the 20th century as well as a model of a house and an ornate Barclays Bank sign.
Many of the objects will never make the museum's public exhibits

Mr Hudachek alighted on a 1928 bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and explained it was the second oldest in its collection.

The oldest bottle, from 1927, has to be stored under special light conditions.

You can tell the difference between the two because the earlier version does not have the famous blue star, he said.

Shelves on the right hand side contain model wagons while a wall at the back is covered in multi-coloured advertising signs.
The objects showcase 20th Century life in north-east England

The last object the museum had been desperate to obtain was a "very specific" NHS orange juice bottle from the 1950s.

"The NHS prescribed orange juice [back then]," Mr Hudachek said.

The team wanted to put the bottle in its 1950s Welfare Hall which is an exact replica of the Leasingthorne Colliery Welfare Hall and Community Centre near Bishop Auckland.

"It took ages before we were able to locate one," he said, but an appeal resulted in a successful outcome.

Shelf stuffed with lots of teddy bears of all different colours - mainly white and brown.
Many local people have donated their collections to the museum

Mr Hudachek said the museum rarely asks for items because it leads to more donation offers than staff can cope with.

Although the Beamish is always adding to its collection, it asks people to get in touch before dropping off donations.

Wall covered with objects such as deer heads, a lifebuoy and walking sticks. It is next to a shelf holding a washing machine.
The collection holds more than 2.5 million objects

"We have to be quite selective," said Mr Hudachek, adding: "You never know what any one day is going to hold.

"You're always learning something new."

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