Tynemouth Museum of Childhood Memories a small family run toy museum has been going now for about 15 years to my knowledge. It used to be based in nearby Whitley Bay many years ago in quite a small unit which it has long since outgrown, but for many years it has been at Tynemouth, North Tyneside, and it is housed among a row of small shops and restaurant directly above Tynemouth long sands beach.
*How to Get There* We walked as we live locally but for the benefit of those not so near I'll briefly detail the accessibility. Situated on Grand Parade, Tynemouth: By Metro - Tynemouth metro station is roughly 10 mins walk away, follow signs to the sea front and boating lake park down Percy Park Rd and turn left. By Bus - There are several bus services to Tynemouth, including the 306 from Newcastle on a 15 minute service. By Car - Travelling from inland including Newcastle, follow the Coast Road (A1058) to Tynemouth, then Beach road and turn right. It's located opposite the boating lake park and is just South of the 'The Blue Reef' Aquarium. Council
parking is available opposite and is 80p for 2 hours.
*Admission Prices* Adults £1.50 Children (4-16) 75p (under 4's free) Seniors 75p A family ticket for two adults, two children will save you a bit at £4.00
I think these prices are reasonable and reflect the fact it is a small museum and you are unlikely to spend much longer than 20 minutes looking around.
*The Opening Hours* This is the draw back. Through the winter they are only open on weekends, when they are open for the season (I understand from Easter from the website information) they are closed on Mondays except bank holidays. I would strongly advise you phone to check before you make a journey as the opening days are not always predictable in my experience. Hours are 10.30am - 5.00pm when they are open.
~*Our Visit*~ The last time I had visited it was just me and my husband 8 years ago, this time our 7 year old son came along too. It wasn't his first visit either as he had been on a school trip a few years previously, most of the local primary schools organise educational trips there. The small admission near the entrance has many thank you notes from schoolchildren as well as intriguing wall displays of smaller toys. There were a few basic wooden mechanical toys on a table to amuse children if there is a queue, although there was no queue at the time of our visit.
The main part of the museum opens up behind the reception area and is basically one large warehouse type room; there was atmospheric end of the pier/jolly seaside type music playing at the time of our visit, which in its almost empty state gave the place a ghostly ambience. I was surprised when I saw the amount of exhibits they have, the collection has considerably expanded since my last visit, including a toy repair service - dolls hospital - which you can bring your own old broken toys to be mended for a fee.
A lot of the toys are in glass display cases (free standing and wall mounted), and many of the larger ones (prams, tricycles pedal cars) are simply grouped together in the middle of the floor and roped off. There was a rather musty smell about but I should imagine it is extremely difficult to keep the dust down. The toys are displayed grouped according to their type rather than their age, so my husband (rather predictably, I thought) immediately made for the trains, dinky cars and cap guns, whilst I made for the Sindy and Barbie dolls. I recognised several types I used to have except these ones were in better condition than mine (I had a nasty habit of cutting their hair!).
If you have an academic interest rather than nostalgia there is a small display of toys ranging from the 19th century, although most of the toys were from the last 70 years or so when toy manufacturing really took off - some you may remember; Meccano (that's the grey metal stuff, not the modern coloured variety), Action man (when he had fuzzy hair), tiny tears, those tiny Smurfs you collected with petrol, marionettes (sinister looking things in my opinion), and even a Sinclair C5 (not sure that was meant to be a toy but some may disagree)! There are also many other jumbled oddments, as it is a rather eclectic collection, many of which were in well loved condition and probably of no value except sentimental.
My son enjoyed his visit somewhat, one of his favourites probably being a doll with plastic decay which looked like some thing out of a horror film. However he was bored after 5 minutes; it wasn't surprising as 7 year olds don't do nostalgia. The 'look but don't touch' aspect also definitely affected his enjoyment, when he had visited with his school demonstrations were put on for them and he had enjoyed that a lot more. Unfortunately there were no spare staff about at the time of our visit to get toys out for demonstrations, which was a shame as he was interested in a large train set, but was disappointed it was not running. There were some crayons and paper put out on small tables here and there and some coin operated rides which would entertain toddlers but nothing specifically for his age group. I'm not suggesting all children would get bored so quickly however, as he is quite an active child.
*The Staff* This is a small family run museum which the owners staff themselves. The member of staff at the time of our visit was a lovely friendly lady who chatted with us on our way out about the museum; I appreciate the personal touch when staff are knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic about their subject and she was more than happy to answer all our questions. It was a shame she was the only staff as she couldn't leave the admission desk and that is why there were no demonstrations that day, although I must stress this was our experience and at other times when there are more staff there may be demonstrations.
*Disabled Access and facilities* Everything is on one level; there are no steps so there shouldn't be any problems for those with walking difficulties/wheelchairs. There are no toilets, although there are some recently refurbished public ones across the road at the boating lake park. No café, but plenty nearby at the beach, boating lake and in Tynemouth village. There is also a very small shop at the admission desk selling sweets (if you are really reliving your childhood you may have the urge to overdose on sugar) and postcards of the exhibits.
I can certainly recommend a visit if you live within travelling distance or if you are visiting the area and have time to spare. However old you are you are certain to spot at least one favourite toy you had forgotten about.
If you are interested then visit www.tynemouthtoymuseum.co.uk It's not the most comprehensive of websites but a contact phone number is available on the website, please do check before you visit as the museum is not always open.
NB Not all the tabs below apply to this musem.
******Update (14.03.06)****** In response to a query in the comment section 'Do they accept toy donations?' This is a good point and strangely enough we did chat with the staff member about where the museum gets its toys from during our visit. Apparently they acquire most of their collection through specialist toy fayres but they also buy from the public if the toys are of suitable type/age/quality. If you do have something you think they might like to buy it's probably a good idea to phone first to check if they would be interested before making a journey.
Pictures of Childhood Memories Toy Museum, Tynemouth
Outside of museum
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
My God, this was an amazing review, and something I was totally unaware of. I was born and bred in Tynemouth, now a Geordie in exile, loiving in Cambs. It's quite s few years since I've been home and this is a good reason for making the trip. Never knew it existed until your review. Thanks. Bri
phoenixgreen 02.09.2006 22:10
Wow fantastic review - I've lived in Newcastle most of my life and didn't know it was there. We were just at Tynemouth market last sat as well!!! Will have to go now I've read your review! Kate x
fritzthecat 28.07.2006 02:59
What a shame that this place is so far away from us as I love toy museums. We have one not far from us but the entrance there is 3 times as high as in the one you've described. Great review ! Sandra x
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Mar 13th, 2006
(Mar 14th, 2006)
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
