Beamish, a sprawling 350-acre open-air museum in the County Durham countryside, has been praised online for its "insane" chip shop and its ability to take visitors back in time. The "living" museum is packed with period-accurate shops, traditional eateries, Georgian gardens, and vintage transport, drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.
According to the official Beamish website, the attraction brings history to life across several exhibits, including an 1820s Pockerley setup, a 1900s Town and Pit Village, and 1950s farm areas. To keep the historical illusion intact, in-character actors never glance at a smartphone, and the patchy mobile signal across the site helps visitors unplug and immerse themselves in the Edwardian experience.
Davy's Fried Fish Shop: A Taste of the Past
Food content creator Robbie Thompson visited the preserved settlement and stopped by Davy's Fried Fish Shop, located in the 1900s Pit Village. The chippy operates like a traditional Edwardian takeaway, with no modern fryers or vegetable oils. Instead, staff in period dress serve fish and chips cooked in beef dripping over authentic, coal-fired ranges.
In a video tour, Thompson told his followers: "This is the fish and chip shop trapped in time - one of the last in the world that uses coal to heat the original 1950s fryers, with fish and chips cooked in beef dripping." He added: "The sweet shop makes candy by hand, the bakery makes the same cakes as a century ago. There's no mobile phone reception up here, so people actually have to talk to each other. A slice of England unchanged. It's one of the most incredible fish and chips, it's Davy's in Beamish."
Visitors React to the Retro Experience
TikTok users flooded the comments with praise. One gushed: "Beamish museum – if you've not yet been then go, it's brilliant, them chips and fish best ever." Another called it the "best fish and chips [they] have ever had." A third viewer reminisced: "We went on a school trip to Beamish when I was about 10. Loved it! I'm 57 now."
Others were drawn to the lack of signal. One said: "Wonder if no mobile reception is a specific tactic. What a world with no mobiles and social media." The historic settlement left many wanting to stay, with one begging: "Make the WHOLE of the UK like this." Another joked: "Not me Googling if people live here, in an attempt to escape modern society."
