Bede's World - Why we should care...

So, anyone who has seen my social media feed since Friday will be aware that the North East has suffered the tragic loss of Bede's World Museum. On Saturday a group of us met next to the site to show our support in trying to save the museum. Now whilst there has been an outpouring of support for this, there has been one type of question that has raised it's head a number of times, and I want to try and address this. 

"Why are a load of Pagans so bothered about a Christian attraction?"

Well, firstly, it's not a "Christian attraction", it's a museum that was dedicated to an incredible historical figure, who was christian, there is a difference there. As well as being a monk, Bede provides us with glimpses of medieval science. In De temporum ratione he shows us his study of astronomy and the passage of time. He was highly skilled in languages and translation, making important theological writings more accessible to those in Anglo-Saxon Britain.

He was also a historian. As a member of the pagan community this is the main reason he is so important to me. Bede's work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, not only documents the progress of Christianity in Britain, but also what came before. We owe a huge amount of what we know about pre-Christian paganism to Bede.

There is also the fact that the site was host to a huge range of community activities. There were educational and creative endeavors ongoing all the time within the museum itself, something very much in the spirit of the man it is dedicated to.

Given Bede's penchant for arguing with those in positions of power (his scientific research saw him accused of heresy in 708CE), I think we owe it to his legacy to make sure we stand our ground, not let this resource be taken from us, and do everything we can to resurrect Bede's World however we can.  

You can keep track of what is going on via the "Save Bede's World" facebook page.

Bede's World

Bede’s World is located in Jarrow, in North East England. It is a visitors attraction based on the life, times and works of the Venerable Bede who lived from 673 to 735 AD.

Bede was a monk, and from the age of seven onwards, he barely left the monastery of St Peter at Monkwearmouth. He dedicated his life to writing and teaching. He was the first person to write academic works in Old English. He was responsible for translating the Gospel of John into English, sadly only completing it on the day of his death. Today Bede’s writings are seen as an invaluable source of historical information, though unfortunately, only fragments of the writings he completed in English have survived today.

Bede’s World has all you would expect from a good museum. The museum building itself is beautifully laid out, with eye catching displays of historic pieces brought together with modern artwork. They also have a lovely on-site café, housed within Jarrow Hall, and a gift shop that boasts some genuinely unique gifts and interesting books.

However, the museum is not constrained within the main buildings, far from it. Bede’s World is situated on the site of the Anglo-Saxon monastery of St Pauls, and you can visit the medieval monastic ruins.

They also have a fully reconstructed Anglo-Saxon farm, complete with animals, that they run demonstrations from. This is situated amongst many reconstructed timber buildings you can look around.

Throughout the year Bede’s World hosts a number of events and fairs. These range from exhibitions and talks from some of the country’s top historians and archaeologists, to family fun days and craft fairs.

The fun days and craft fairs are not to be missed. The have included things such as battle re-enactments and birds of prey displays. There are also lots of fun activities for children of all ages including horse cart rides, and making clay tiles. There’s also plenty for the adults. The wide range of local craftsmen these events attract make for a truly unique shopping experience. In addition, on days such as this, Bede’s World will often open it’s doors for free. Getting there isn’t much of a trial either with lots of local public transport links near by.


Bede’s World is open seven days a week, but does close briefly over the winter period. Full details of opening times and events can be found on their website.