Steam on the Tyne (and Wear)

The sun has set on another fantastic Whitby Steampunk Weekend. Your feet are battered after boogying down to Professor Elemental. Your voice is hoarse from chap-hop karaoke, and you’ve stuffed yourself silly with enough chips to feed C’thulhu for the next century. But you’re not quite ready to put away the brass goggles just yet. Here are five locations in the northeast of England that are worth a visit before you head home.

Beamish Museum, in the heart of County Durham, is a living open-air museum, much of which re-creates a town from the early 20th century . You can ride a tramway, visit a world-famous sweetshop, listen to actors’ tales of times past, and much, much more.

Beamish has recently become a popular meetup place for steampunks in the region. You can strut down the cobbled streets and have a promenade by a bandstand, before posing for old-time portraits at JR & D Edis Photographers.

Tanfield Railway. Here, you can take a trip on the world’s oldest working coal-powered steam train. The railway runs between East Tanfield, in County Durham, and Sunniside, in Gateshead, with stops at Andrews House Station and Causey Arch.

As you travel the beautiful three-mile route, you can have an afternoon tea in a first-class carriage. At various stops, you can peruse the gift shop, or have a coffee whilst posing with an array of historic locomotives, which are being restored at a two-minute walk from Andrews House Station. The trains make fabulous photo opportunities.

If you’re lucky enough, you can even join the footplate crew and drive the train under expert supervision. When you’re done, pop into The Causey Arch Inn for a nice, tall pint and a crackling fire. Then catch a bus to our next stop.

The Literary and Philosophical Society. Once you reach Newcastle’s city centre, take a walk along its gorgeous cobblestone streets, past parades of sandstone buildings towards “The Lit & Phil.” This stunning historical library is home to a variety of weird and wonderful tomes, many of which date back to the 16th century.

The Lit and Phil has hosted talks from brilliant minds of the past, such as George Stephenson, Joseph Swan, and Oscar Wilde, and it continues this tradition through collaborations with modern-day academics. Whether it be a jazz night, a classical music concert, a celebrity book signing, a creative writing course, or a ghost-hunting tour, The Lit & Phil has something for everyone.

Just next door, you’ll find The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, locally known as “The Mining Institute.” Founded in 1852, this gorgeous Victorian-gothic building was once a place that trained the best engineers in the north.

With over 35,000 journals alone stashed here (some created as early as 1556), you’d be spoiled for choice if you wish to delve into the world of mining and geology. Still a place for brilliant minds, The Mining Institute often hosts meetings and conferences, so why not book yourself to see a talk?

The Victoria Tunnel, our last stop, was built between 1839 and 1842 as a wagonway to transport coal mined in the Newcastle area. It closed in 1860 and during World War II was used as an air-raid shelter. It now serves as an event venue. Visitors can book guided tours, which take less than two hours. It’s also a hidden gem for the paranormally inclined, given the tale or two about the tunnel’s haunted past.

Peruse through the photo gallery below, to get a glimpse at these gorgeous places.

Bel Briar is a writer in England with a fascination for steampunk, fantasy, and the macabre.