The Bede's World Museum at Jarrow is of interest to this site as a full size reconstruction of the main hall from Gefrin, the palace of King Edwin of Northumbria, is to be built. Work is now in the advanced planning stage and actual construction is due to start soon. Bede's World is well worth a visit. As well as exploring the life of St. Bede and the story of the monastery at Jarrow the museum, on a site of around eleven acres, recreates the buildings and the world of seventh century Northumbria. The Venerable Bede (AD673-735) was early medieval Europe's greatest scholar and the first to record the history of the English nation. He lived and worked as a monk at Jarrow. Through Bede this became one of the most important religious and historical sites in Europe. Today at Bede's World you can explore life in Bede's exciting age of saints and kings...
The original twin monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow was founded by Benedict Biscop in the late 7th century. One of the Anglo-Saxonchurches of St Paul's monastery, where Bede lived, survives as the chancel of the parish church of St Paul - a Grade One Listed building. The monastery itself and its medieval successor have been excavated. You can view the monastic ruins and layout of the early monastery and see a display of early sculpture inside the church.
	The new Museum building, opened in 1995, was designed by Evans & Shalev, the architects of the Tate Gallery at St Ives. The design reflects the Continental influence on the Anglo-Saxon monastery at Jarrow. New exhibitions will focus on the outstanding contribution of Bede and the Jarrow monastery to early medieval Europe and beyond, as well as the later medieval monastery and life in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. Current exhibitions provide an overview of early Northumbria and Bede's life. Highlights include replicas of the armour and sword of a Northumbrian king and a display of some of the oldest stained glass in western Europe. There is also a programme of temporary exhibitions.
Bede's World have a number of reconstructed buildings. All the buildings are based on remains excavated at several early medieval sites in Northumbria and chosen to demonstrate different shapes, sizes and construction techniques. The buildings have all been constructed using only traditional tools and techniques. You can explore a Northumbrian timber hall, a grubenhaus (sunken featured building) and a monastic workshop/cell. Beside the timber hall you can see a pottery kiln and a pole lathe.
	On the bank beyond the timber hall, overlooking the River Tyne, is a Northumbrian cross. Designed and carved by Keith Ashford in 1997 it was inspired by the crosses of AD7OO-1050. The images show Biblical scenes, plant scrolls inhabited by birds, beasts and an archer, plus a modern image of a welder at work on a boat keel. Crosses of this type were used for teaching purposes or as memorials to important people or events. On Gyrwe (the Old English name for Jarrow meaning 'the place of the marsh-dwellers, pronounced 'Jeerwe') Bede's World are trying to give an idea of the kind of landscape that Bede would have known in about AD7OO.
	On the farm can be seen primitive breeds of animals:Greylag geese; Bantams; Dexter cattle; Pigs; Goats; Sheep including Soay, Hebridean, North Ronaldsay, Shetland, Herdwick, Portland and Manx Loghtan breeds. Apart from the goats these are all close in size and colouration to the animals that would have been kept by the Anglo-Saxons for wool, eggs, meat and leather. The Dexters would have been used as draught animals for ploughing and pulling carts. The museum are growing ancient strains of cereal and vegetable crops. The cereals - emmer, spelt and einkorn (all types of wheat), plus an old form of barley - are all sown and harvested by hand. Different planting techniques are employed to see which are the most effective. In the vegetable plot grow a variety of vegetables known to have been used by the Anglo-Saxons. Also growing is woad, which was used to give a blue dye, cornfrey and fennel. Herbs would have been used for both medicine and flavouring food. An orchard has been planted behind the timber hall. Bede's World can be found at Jarrow and is about two minutes drivefrom the A19 Tyne Tunnel south entrance. Click here to visit the Bede's World website.