Newcastle Christmas tradition to feature in new exhibition

The Christmas window display at Fenwick Newcastle has long been a tradition during the festive period for many North East families over the years. Some will even remember the first time Alice in Wonderland was featured in 1981or when Peter Pan flew over from Neverland in 1999. Now, visitors can find out how Christmas has been celebrated at Fenwick, Newcastle in the Fenwick Unwrapped exhibition which opens at Discovery Museum on Saturday 7 November. The much celebrated Christmas window has been a feature of Christmas tradition in the North East for over 40 years, and the Fenwick Toy Fair has long been a favourite with North East shoppers. Visitors to the exhibition will get a glimpse into how Christmas is created at the store. They will be able to step into a Christmas emporium full of festive favourites including top selling Christmas toys from the 1930s to the present day, traditions of Christmas time for families, festive stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the creation of the Fenwick Christmas window. The Fenwick Archive, which is stored in the Tyne & Wear Archives at Discovery Museum, is rich with images of the store at Christmas over the years and also holds many historic Christmas advertising campaigns for the store. Discovery Museum and Tyne & Wear Archives Manager Carolyn Ball said, ‘Christmas is always a magical time of year for families and a visit to Fenwick Newcastle at Christmas time has been not only one of my family traditions, but also that of many others. ‘I’m delighted that we are able to bring this exhibition together using items from the Discovery and Tyne & Wear Archives collections as well as the Fenwick Archive. I’m sure the exhibition will bring joy and ignite that festive spirit for all who visit.’ Fenwick Unwrapped launches Saturday 7 November with a day of festive activities and crafts plus visits from reindeer and maybe even the man himself, Santa Claus. The exhibition is on show until Saturday 10 January with Discovery Museum being open throughout the Christmas holidays except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. There will also be a large festive event programme including visits from Bjorn the Bear and Santa Claus, a family Christmas disco, Christmas films and live performances by Hopscotch Entertainment. Visit www.discoverymuseum.org.uk/whats-on for more information.