As she leads Beamish Museum through some of the biggest developments in its 50-year history, Chief Executive Rhiannon Hiles reflects on her time at Teesside University and how one lesson in particular provided the building blocks for a stellar career at the forefront of social history preservation.
Two bricks – one handmade and one machine-made – had been placed on a desk at the front of the class by lecturer Stephen Hayward.
detail that gets paid to making sure things look authentically of the period they are supposed to be representing.
look authentically of the period they are supposed to be representing. 'It's so important to get the details right.' It's a skill that has served her well in her current position as chief executive of one of the biggest visitor attractions in the UK. Now in its sixth decade, Beamish Museum known as the 'Living Museum of the North' is undergoing a £22m development after receiving almost £11m in Lottery funding, which Rhiannon describes as the “biggest project it’s ever done in its history”. 'We have curated over 30 exhibits. We’ve
As Rhiannon Hiles and her fellow students walked into the classroom they were given one instruction, “Discuss”.
It might seem trivial, but to Rhiannon the opportunity to study an object and pay close attention to how it compares to others was an invaluable lesson.
‘The handmade brick was Georgian or earlier,’ she said. ‘As I’ve gone through my career, that lecture has been instrumental to my own knowledge and the attention to detail that gets paid to making sure things look authentically of the period they are supposed to be representing.
‘We have curated over 30 exhibits. We’ve rebuilt a farmstead set in the 1950s and are creating overnight accommodation so people can come and be fully immersed and stay overnight as well,’ she said. ‘We are also revisiting the stories we tell in our spaces to meet the needs of visitors nowadays.
rebuilt a farmstead set in the 1950s and are creating overnight accommodation so people can come and be fully immersed and stay overnight as well,' she said. ‘We are also revisiting the stories we tell in our spaces to meet the needs of visitors nowadays.
‘People have a higher expectation of what they consider as value for money at this time, in this current economic climate, and we want to exceed their expectations for their visit.’
Coming out of Covid, the attraction Rhiannon fell in love with has seen “tremendous footfall”.