Places to visit 

If you are tracing your family history in the North of England and intend visiting the area in search of your ancestors, why not take the opportunity to find not only who they were and where they lived, but also how they lived and worked. There are many historic sites in the North of England dedicated to preserving our heritage in a living “Hands on” format for future generations.  
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Click on location name to go to information panel
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AIRCRAFT, AIRCREW AND AIRFIELDS  
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If your ancestors served in any of the RAF, RAAF, or RCAF Squadrons stationed at British airfields and you want to know more about these airfields along with the aircraft and aircrew that flew from them, a visit to the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, nr York, East Yorkshire, may be well worth while. The museum offers outdoor and covered displays featuring 42 historical aircraft some of which are being restored by volunteers. Amongst the many indoor displays is the ‘Barnes Wallis Collection’, devoted to the memory and achievements of the great inventor, best known for his ‘Bouncing Bomb’ used in the famous Dambusters raids. The ‘Air Gunners Memorial Room’ dedicated to those who undertook the most dangerous of aircrew tasks, includes six gun turrets and memorabilia from WW1 and WW2. Refreshments are available at the NAAFI Snack Bar and Restaurant and I can personally recommend the braised steak.
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The Yorkshire Air Museum has several resources available at the museum or from the Y.A.M. web site that will be of special interest to Genealogists. First of these is the “British Military Airfield Histories In Brief” project from which you can obtain a brief history of any airfield your ancestor may have served at. You should have no problem as the database lists all of the 790 airfields used by the RAF. If your ancestor was involved in any of the 1800 military aircraft crashes that occurred in Yorkshire or its adjacent waters between 1930 and 1985 you can obtain further details about the aircraft and the crash site etc from the web site shown in the Y.A.M. information panel below. The Air Gunners Association web site gives access to an extensive database of those who served as RAF Air Gunners and Fleet Air Arm Telegraphist Air Gunners. Available by appointment to bona fide researchers is a comprehensive aviation library and an extensive collection of historical documents and photographs relating to RAF, RAAF, and RCAF Squadrons which served in Yorkshire. A donation (minimum of 10 UKP) is requested in respect of research carried out in the Archives section to help defray the considerable costs of collection and maintenance.
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MINES AND MINING

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The Killhope Lead Mining Centre at Cowshill, County Durham. Situated about 5km north - west of Cowshill, alongside the A689 Stanhope to Alston Road. Here you will see the restored and working Killhope water wheel, which was used to drive the mill machinery. Other attractions include renovated mine buildings, panning for minerals, visitor centre and a trip into the mine itself to see the terrible conditions under which the miners worked. Wellington Boots are essential in the mine, you can take your own, or they are available free of charge on site, as are lamps and safety helmets. On my trip into the mine, Allison one of about 30 volunteers who act as guides, gave our group an informative 45 minute tour of the mine workings. Having gone to great lengths to tell everyone that very few miners had been killed in the lead mines, this charming young lady then went on to give the gory details of some of those miners who had been killed. This included Thomas Heslop who fell into the works of an underground waterwheel at Allenheads and the first anyone knew of it was when he was washed from the mine in bits. See also the spectacular spar boxes made from the gorgeous coloured crystals of fluorspar sometimes found in the mines, taken home by the miners and built into “spar models” and “spar boxes”, situated alongside Pennine Jewels, the North Pennine Mineral Exhibition. A complicated system of channels, streams and aqueducts that took water into the mine to drive the waterwheels and mine head machinery.
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The Killhope Cafe has seating for thirty people and provides a good selection of sandwiches, baked potato fillings, salads and sweets. My wife and I sampled the bacon and sausage sandwiches and found that the buns struggled to contain the ample contents, especially one of the largest Cumberland Sausages ever put into a bun.
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Moving 4km north–west from Killhope along the A689 you will come to the village of Nenthead and here you will find the Nenthead Mines Heritage Centre one of many sites operated by the North Pennines Heritage Trust. The Nenthead Mines site consisting of 200 acres of rugged Pennine landscape at the heart of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is the largest and most important single site associated with the lead mining industry of the North Pennines. Substantial conservation and repair work has been carried out and a new interpretative heritage centre tells the story of this unique and dramatic site and of the village from which the site takes its name. The heritage centre uses modern exhibition and display techniques to provide the visitor with a stimulating start to their exploration of the site and the village. Experience for yourself the mysterious underworld of the lead miner and on the surface see the smelt mill, reservoirs, wheelpits and pan for minerals.
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Genealogists researching their coal mining ancestors who had worked in the Durham coalfields during the 19^th and 20^th centuries may find that many of their ancestors had migrated down Weardale to work in the coal mines following the decline of the lead mining industry in the North Pennine area.
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If your travels are to take you to the area of the Cleveland coastline that was formerly the North Riding of Yorkshire (Pre 1974) you can pay a visit to the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, (Known locally as the Tom Leonard Mining Museum) which stands in the Skinningrove Valley, just off the A174 Saltburn to Whitby road about 7km south –east of Saltburn. On the site of the old Loftus mine the museum offers visitors an exciting and authentic experience in the dark world of a typical Cleveland drift mine. Explore an underground working place; hear the Trappy Lad’s tales of his first day underground. See how the stone was drilled and charged with explosives and hear the sound of the blast. Go back if you dare amongst the fallen blocks of stone. The Museum Shop sells many souvenirs including a CD-ROM of 100 photographs showing the old ironstone mines, the ironstone miners and local photographs from the surrounding area. Most of the photographs are from the early 1900’s but the oldest dates from 1880, maybe you will find a photograph of your ancestors.
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TRAINS AND RAILWAYS  
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For those of you who have never quite left your childhood behind and still dream of owning a steam train if only you could afford it, there are several Railway Preservation Groups in the North Pennines and surrounding area. The World’s Oldest existing Railway is the 276 year old, Tanfield Railway situated between Gateshead and Stanley, west of the A1. Take a spectacular three-mile journey through Causey Woods on one of a fleet of preserved steam trains. Visit the Marley Hill shed where the loco fleet are maintained and see also the new East Tanfield Station.
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Still in County Durham you can visit the Timothy Hackworth Victorian & Railway Museum at Shildon. The museum is a tribute to Timothy Hackworth (1786-1850) the Railway Engineer born at Wylam, Northumberland. Hackworth became the resident engineer at Shildon in 1825 to the Stockton & Darlington Railway and was involved in maintaining the five existing engines of the company during the many absences of George Stephenson. During his time with the S&DR Hackworth designed and built several locomotives including the ‘Globe’ and the ‘Samson’. In 1840 Hackworth left the S&DR to set up his own Soho Engine Works in Shildon, which he operated until his death in 1850. At the museum you can learn the history of Timothy Hackworth, see models and exhibits, the Victorian Period Rooms and the engine sheds and trains. If you cannot visit the Timothy Hackworth Museum, at least visit its 1^st class web site complete with its excellent cursor.
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Yet another railway attraction well worth a visit is Darlington Railway Centre and Museum in the town of Darlington. Amongst the exhibits at the DRCM is the original ‘Locomotion’ the engine, which pulled the first ever train on the Stockton to Darlington Railway on the 27^th September 1825. The DRCM web site includes a page for family historians giving information about North Eastern Railway Pension Society Records for those with relatives who worked for the North Eastern Railway.
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 See the panels below for more details of places shown in bold print or to visit it’s web site  

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