Opening Times

10.00am - 5.00pm April 1st to October 31st, 10.00am-4.00pm November 1st to March 31st.

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

Imagine if your class could:
- Discover what it's like to wear a genuine Air Raid Warden’s helmet.
- Feel just how rough a British soldier’s khaki battledress is.
- Learn how a baby’s gasmask worked.
- Examine close-up an unexploded German incendiary bomb.

During a WW1 or WW2 Workshop children learn for themselves as they handle, discuss, question, measure, select and record what they have discovered about a range of real World War I and II artefacts.

We also offer art workshops throughout the year taken by either our experienced visitor assistants or by professional artists from the Bearpark Artist's Cooperative.

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

History, Art, Citizenship

What are the activities?

World War I or II workshops and art workshops throughout the year.

What is the age range of the activities?

Our experienced visitor assistants will work with all ages and abilities.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

We supply all materials - for art workshops this includes all art materials, aprons etc.

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

Each group can be a maximum of 30 for history workshops and 25 for art workshops, but we can run more than one session at once for larger classes.

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

Yes, a copy of our hazard identification sheet can be found on our website www.durham.gov.uk/dli and downloaded for free.

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

Teachers are able to come on preliminary visits free of charge where they will be able to speak to our guides in advance of their class visit.

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

We offer a sizeable gift shop with toys and souvenirs from 20p. We sell pocket money toys, art and crafts supplies and historical souvenirs amongst others.

There are facilities for groups to have their own packed lunches indoors during their visit.

Is specific clothing required?

No. Aprons are provided for art workshops.

Do you have first aid on site?

Yes

Are there any restrictions on photos, copyright etc?

No