Our South Shields: Thanks for the Memories

This is a collaborative project between Beamish Museum, BSDC and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University. It is dedicated to the often overlooked history of local South Asian and other ethnic minority groups from South Shields affected by dementia.

Taking place at Beamish Museum, we aim to create a supportive and enriching environment that preserves and celebrates South Shield’s cultural heritage whilst also improving the wellbeing and quality of life for those living with dementia.

BSDC and Beamish

This collaboration is a project that delves into the lives of people from South Asia who arrived in South Shields in the 1950s in the north-east of England. Supported by Everyday Heritage, the work promises to be a gentle exploration of hidden histories of local working class people. The project will include oral history interviews with people from the South Asian community who settled in the region during that era, shedding light on their experiences, challenges, and contributions to the local culture and economy. The project has a focus on people living with dementia, as Beamish’s wellbeing team is very experienced in working with this community, with a specially created cottage to house the work.

This project primarily focuses on individuals born since the early 1950s from various ethnic backgrounds, aiming to capture their first-hand memories of this era of change in and around Marsden Road, South Shields. While Beamish's 1950s Town, where Clover Cottage is located, can represent some stories through its collections and structures, it's essential to share, celebrate, and preserve a wider array of diverse and individual experiences.

Senses of the past

These illustrations created as an imagined replica of the Clover Cottage at Beamish museum - home to aged miners living in South Shields who are affected by dementia. Each room represents a human sense through the use of found objects and acts as a reminder that dementia can blunt a person’s ability to smell, taste, see, hear or feel.

Visiting Beamish Museum

Photographers

Balbir Singh
Elia Tomé

Illustration

Minh Nguyen
Morgan Girvin