43 Senior Tigers braved the cold gloomy weather of mid November to travel to Beamish for the day.

This was helped by the services of our faithful driver Terry, a couple of quizzes and a few snacks en route.

We had a really good day, and as it was the end of the season – no queueing whatsoever.

We visited the miner’s cottages, the school, both the Methodist and Anglican churches, and Clive had a personal visit down into the mine.

Some dined on fish and chips whilst others visited the tea rooms above the Co-op.  We had a fun time visiting the shops and the ‘shop-keepers’ were very friendly and funny.  We bought and ate sweets from our childhood and then had the obligatory visit to the pub.  We visited the dentist’s – a very daunting room, made realistic by the female ‘dentist’ on duty. The dentist’s private house was very luxurious for the period.

The warm coal fires and the ladies working in their kitchens reminded us how hard life was in the industrial north at that time.

We now look forward to out 2017 outings, beginning with a trip to York Railway Museum on 19th January, at a cost of £8.00 each.

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