Checking out the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi in Allendale

I would like to start a petition that if you were to look up ‘cool little place’ in the dictionary, then you would find a picture of The Museum of Classic Sci-Fi, located in Allendale, Northumberland.

I happened to be away in the area for a holiday and found out about this exhibition while researching nice touristy things to do. I simply had to visit – the website promised ‘Over 200 original props, costumes & artworks from classic SF film & television’, many of which were from our beloved Doctor Who. So on Sunday 8th May 2022, me and my partner went along. 

(Interesting side note, this happened to be the same day that actor Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor! What a coincidence. Brilliant actor – looking forward to seeing what he does with the role).

Welcome to Allendale

We drove through the windy, yet jaw-droppingly gorgeous, rural land of Northumberland to get to Allendale. It was an unassuming town with a small number of people casually going about their business. They were either having a drink in the sunshine or going to the convenience shop. 

I asked my partner: ‘Where do you think the museum is?’

‘Well,’ she replied ‘that TARDIS over there is a dead giveaway’. 

When we crossed the road to the big blue box, at the entrance of the cellar of a Georgian townhouse. This was indeed the place, and we were given a friendly welcome by Chris, the father in law of Neil Cole: the man who created the museum. He guided us into the first section of the museum and highlighted how the majority of the items on display were originally used props and costumes from various different science fiction films and TV shows.

Chris also told us that new items come into the museum all the time, pointing out some masks from the Planet of the Apes films and the movie Hollowman starring Kevin Bacon. Everything non-Doctor-Who-related was in the first section of the exhibition, before a door in the shape of the famous TARDIS police box entrance. Behind this houses the majority of the museum’s collection – a tonne of Classic Who items. We were left to our own devices to explore everything.

I know this is a Doctor Who podcast website so I will keep this non-Who talk to a minimum! But there were some swanky items from all sorts of different franchises. Some items on display were from properties I had not seen or heard of; much of it dates back decades. But this is an awesome thing about the place: there is a plethora of stuff that will appeal to all ages. As someone younger and not as well-watched, I was excited to see a few items from Star Wars and a really substantial Marvel movie collection.

Some of the stuff which stuck out to me was a spare Spider-Man suit top made for Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Electro’s gloves from the same movie (is it just me who didn’t realise he wore gloves?!) and the prosthetic mask for Ben Grimm / The Thing from an original Fantastic Four movie. It was frankly incredible to witness items from various superhero movies I enjoyed growing up, carefully maintained in this lovely little village in the countryside. I had a buzz of nostalgia which I am sure any visitor will find with at least a couple of the items on display from various franchises.

The adoration continued as we saw the things we came here to see. Filled with anticipation, we tentatively opened the door of the TARDIS…

Doctor Who galore!

Now I grew up watching the modern series of Doctor Who and have since watched most of the classic series. While I did not get a sense of nostalgia as such, I had a blooming great nerdy time in this part of the museum. If ‘New-Who’ is preferable to you, just know that this collection is entirely made up of 20th century Who items. Still – I think any Doctor Who fan can appreciate life-size Daleks and Cybermen – originally used in the show itself, no less! 

There were all sorts of bits and bobs that you would not even think about being in a Doctor Who exhibition. A prop helmet used in the Tom Baker story The Masque of Mandragora was on display, for instance. Sure, it isn’t an unambiguously ‘sci-fi item’ like the humanoid ape elsewhere in the museum for example, but it tickled me to know that it was used in the production of that story. It is a part of what I think to be one of the most underrated Doctor Who episodes – how cool is that?! The most random items on display actually unlock a feeling of appreciation for the creative forces behind the show. In fact, these are more than just items – they are pieces of our favourite stories; pieces that make up this wonderful show. 

The age of some display pieces was also a novel part of this museum. I jokingly said before visiting that it would be fun to see a Sea Devil (ironically, because I personally am not really a fan of this monster, especially after their recent appearance in Legend of the Sea Devils). And I’ll be damned because there was an arm of an original Sea Devil preserved in the museum. What made me so awestruck to see this piece of costume was how it was something which was only designed to be used once in a TV serial in the 1970s and was somehow right before us 50 years later.

Not to mention, those Sea Devil costumes in particular got very wet! No pun intended, but PROPS to Neil for being able to get hold of and preserve items which really shouldn’t exist still, but are around for visitors of this museum to enjoy admiring. 

The brilliant array of stuff also includes but is not limited to: a replica of the Doctor’s tin dog K-9, some Cybermen heads and costumes, a Terileptil, Mawdryn’s costume, the T-Rex embryo from Mark of the Rani, a miniature Tetrap, the melted face of Kane from Dragonfire, a Heamovore and a Cheetah person (this is the strangest cellar in the world and I dig it – feel free to put that as a quote on your website or your next museum guide Neil!).

Though the Sea Devil Arm was really cool, I would have to say my favourite item on display was the full-size Zygon. It was blooming terrifying up close and “in the flesh” as it were. Way scarier than it was conceived on screen I feel, and it really gives me a sense of the fear that the characters facing them must have felt in Terror of the Zygons. It actually made me appreciate the impact of the costume makers of that story even more than I did before.

I suppose what is cool about places such as this museum is that it shines a light on the different facets of artistry that go into Doctor Who and celebrates them. As an actor, I often think about the performances the actors are giving to bring the scripts and stories to life. It is, therefore, far too easy for me to take for granted the practical, hands-on creators who realise fantastical elements of the show. The Doctor wouldn’t necessarily have an adventure without a big terrifying rubber monster, after all. 

Speaking of artistry, it is worth mentioning that there is a huge array of cool art on display, many of which are drawn by Neil himself. He is a talented artist; his work is showcased along with pieces from Andrew Skilleter, Colin Howard and Pete Wallbank. I am certain many Sci-Fi fans – whether a lover of graphic novel art or someone who simply likes a good picture – would enjoy seeing the art dotted around the museum. Additionally, there are production documents such as storyboards and scripts on display, and the museum has a really nice sound design. The rumbling of the spaceship in orbit is sometimes overlaid with what sounds very much like Terry Molloy as Davros (whether it was or not, I don’t know!) interjecting every now and then with recommendations of local eateries – a very funny touch of customer service right there. 

The museum, being in a cellar, is well maintained and habitable for the collection and all the people who might want to visit, but it might be a little cramped for some. However, as I said earlier, Chris said we could come and go as we pleased throughout the day, so by all means you could probably leave the site and take a minute if it all gets a bit too much. It is no surprise that the really nice people who run the place want visitors to get the most out of the items on display and have a good time!

Change, my dear…

As we finished exploring the Doctor Who section and had another chat with Chris at the front desk, Neil Cole was around too! We had a nice chat with him. I told him how cool seeing the helmet from The Masque of Mandragora was, he spoke about how the museum was recently featured in an issue of Doctor Who Magazine, and he showed us an item being added to the museum the following week of our visit. This was a Judge Dredd mask from the 2012 movie (not seen it, but boy the mask looked wicked!).

Evidently, Neil is still invested and enthusiastic about his museum, always adding new stuff. This means every visit is unique and you can come more than once and maybe see something new! For us, we got to see a recent addition of a mummy head from Pyramids of Mars. For future visitors, they can see the Dredd Mask, a full stormtrooper costume and more Doctor Who items. There is no doubt in my mind that if I find myself in Northumberland again, I would like to try and visit this museum once again to see what other items Neil has managed to get his hands on. 

All in all, if you find yourself in Allendale, Northumberland, Hexham or even Newcastle, and you have even so much as a passing interest in Science Fiction, you should definitely pay this attraction a visit. The place has a happy vibe, having been created for lovers of the genre by someone who is equally as enthused by it. Though it may not be huge, and though it may be out of the way, it is no less exciting and wonderful than the old Doctor Who Experience of London and Cardiff and other Who exhibitions of old have been.

It makes me excited for future Who / Sci-Fi exhibits which may come up in the future (namely right now I am looking forward to Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder which has begun its tour in the Liverpool World Museum). 

Long may the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi continue expanding and flourishing.

Tickets, social media and attraction info can be found on the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi website. And if you want to find out more about the museum from Neil and his family, then check out episode three of Amazing Interiors on Netflix…