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At the North of England Open Air Museum near Chester-le-Street, the village of Beamish exists completely as it did in 1913, when the miners, factory workers and farmers of the North Country enjoyed their highest standard of living to date. Visitors can sample both the sweet shop and the dentist.[/caption]

A British Heritage Commonplace Book

In which we reflect on themes introduced in these pages

One road leads to London
One road runs to Wales,
My road leads me seawards
To the white dipping sails.

John Masefield

O sing unto God, and sing praises unto his name:
Magnify him that rideth upon the heavens, as it
were upon a horse; praise him in his name and
rejoice before him.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily
rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving:
And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing praises lustily
unto him with a good courage.

The Prayer Book

Gin was mother’s milk to her.

Shaw, Pygmalion

Don’t tell my mother I’m living in sin,
Don’t let the old folks know:
Don’t tell my twin I breakfast on gin,
He’d never survive the blow.

A.P. Herbert

“There’s been a real democratization of history in
recent years. When the museum was opened, many
people wanted to pull the workhouse down. There
was a real reluctance to recognize its role in rural
history. Now, we find that people are more likely to
celebrate the fact that they’ve got a relative who was
an inmate at the workhouse rather than be ashamed
of it as they would have been only a generation ago.”

Stuart Gilles

“I love a Martini,” said Mabel,
“I only have two at the most.
After three I am under the table,
After four I am under the host.”

Anon.

So let me say it now: If you have never been to
Durham, go at once. Take my car. It’s wonderful.
….I unhesitatingly gave Durham my vote for
the best cathedral in Britain.

Nothing gives the English more pleasure, in a
quiet but determined sort of way, than to do
things oddly.

There isn’t a single feature of driving in Britain
that has even the tiniest measure of enjoyment
in it.

Bill Bryson