Gin and Magic Anyone? The Master’s Break 8 to 11 June 2026
The Master and her Consort were delighted to host 46 Company members and partners in Durham and Northumberland in early June. Both have connections to the area.
The first evening started with a drinks reception on the terrace at Beamish Hall Hotel, our base for the next few days. In defiance of the weather forecast, the sun shone on the righteous, the Hawaiian shirts came out & the BBQ was lit.
Next morning took us to North Northumberland and a tour of The Alnwick Gardens and Castle, home of the Duke of Northumberland. Built at the end of the eleventh century, Alnwick Castle has been the Percy family seat for over 700 years. It has been used as a setting for many films and TV series, including Harry Potter and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. One or two spouses were observed paying rather close attention during our tour of the Poison Garden, we hope this does not result in a membership decline.
Alnwick Castle & Gardens
No Plumbers’ outing would be complete without some alcohol and, before our return to the hotel, we called at the Northumberland Spirit Company for a tasting of the numerous gins produced by this micro distillery, which provides special gins to the armed services. A quiet coach journey home ensued!
Alnwick Gin
During dinner on the 9th, we were enthralled by Paul Lytton, the North East Magician, who carried out close up magic at each table then gave a stunning performance to the assembled group. Do ask PM Nash what was allegedly found in his jacket pockets!
A Magical Dinner
On Wednesday morning we travelled to the Roman outpost, Vindolanda, a vast archaeological site still being excavated. Among other things, we learned about lead mining in the area during Roman times and saw letters from Romans to their relatives. We made some useful contacts for Amberley Museum
Vindolanda
From the Roman era, we travelled forwards in time several hundred years to Beamish Museum where we took in many of the themed areas representing the history of the region. This included an 1820s landscape, 1900s town, 1900s pit village and colliery and a 1950s town. Several were tempted by Davy’s Fried Fish Shop, reputed to serve the best fish and chips in the UK, cooked in beef dripping in its coal fired fryers. Many were also snapped leaving the sweet shop with bulging pockets!
Beamish Museum
Beamish Museum
Our last night was a black-tie dinner in the Winter Gardens in the hotel, the perfect venue to end the break. As the most senior Past Master present, Dr Peter Rumley rounded off the evening with an eloquent summary of the experiences of the previous days.
Black Tie Dinner
For many, this was the first time they had been on a Master’s Break. The Master and Consort have been touched by the many warm messages they received from those who attended.
The following collections capture many exploring the sites of the area.
Prepared by the Master & Consort
Plumbers at Beamish
Prepared by the Master & Consort