The Bowes Museum

Fantastic and very interesting museum founded by John and Joséphine Bowes. The collections include paintings, fashion, furniture, ceramics, sculpture and of course the famous Silver Swan.

We spent over two hours exploring the museum. We’d visited previously a few years ago and there were lots of new areas including a curiosity space and an arts and crafts room. Two temporary exhibitions - A private collection of Vivienne Westwood and Murmuration. Entry to both is included within the entrance fee.

Highlight of the visit was seeing the Silver Swan in action. Although this lasts for less than 30 seconds, it’s definitely worth seeing. Note - the swan usually performs at 2pm, but the room reached capacity earlier today. This meant she performed earlier, but some people arrived just before 2pm and were disappointed not to see her in action. I’d recommend going to the room no later than 1.40pm to get a seat and a good view.

Cafe is lovely although can get very busy especially at lunch time. A nice selection of cakes and scones available as well as afternoon tea, lunch and other options.

Beautiful grounds with places to sit and enjoy the view if the weather is fine. The building itself is absolutely stunning. There’s free parking too. I think adult entry was around £18 (children free) although we have a National Art Pass so entry was free of charge.

A special mention for Graham at Reception who gave such a comprehensive and thorough overview to ensure we didn’t miss anything - thank you. We hope to return soon.

Completely unexpected to find this gem in the middle of the country side
Absolutely beautiful building and stunning collection of art, furniture, clothing and very querky inventions from over a few centuries ago

The day that we visited was snowing and already decorated for Christmas which made it really special.
Would recommend a quick stop at their cafe. Coffee and food were great!

Unfortunately, the silver swan is undergoing reparations at the moment.
We bought the 1 year membership ( which ironically is cheaper that the day pass) so planning to visit again!

A beautiful Museum filled with a large collection of treasures including the Silver Swan which is now fully working after its restoration.

Well worth a visit if you're heading to Barnard Castle.

The restaurant is a treat too (separate review to follow)

Fabulous museum with so much to see you’ll probably need a second visit. The Silver Swan exhibit was particularly wonderful.
It’s a stunning building to with a lovely cafe and friendly staff throughout.
Loads of car parking spaces and well looked after toilet facilities.

We visited Bowes on the Heritage Day & it certainly attracted hundreds of people as well.
I had read up about the museum prior to our visit but even so just blown away by the sheer size of it.
We arrived early Saturday afternoon & parked at the front of the museum & went for lunch. The restaurant was very busy but they say its that busy every weekend!
After lunch we took the lift (yes there's a lift) to the 3rd floor & the Art gallery. Just blown away by the beautiful landscape pictures on display. Other galleries to look out for are the Ceramic & Furnishings. We also saw the famous automata Swan & a Clothes gallery.
Lovely way to spend the afternoon.
Staff were very helpful.

Such an interesting museum . We weren't expecting to find something of this size with so many artefacts in this area.It was only by chance we came across it . We landed up nearly spending the whole day there as so much to see. 100% worth a visit .

Good collection of painting, impressive gold embroidery 16-17 century and super star of all arts is Silver Swan. Recommended to visit

Excellent place to visit, we visited this place last year and didn't see everything, so we returned this year to complete our tour. There are so many interesting collections to see, and it is very informative. Also if you stay for lunch the food is very good at a reasonable price 👌 👍

It's an old country Manor, Hall, House, estate that belonged to rich people years ago so it must be good . . filled with lots of nice expensive things from all over the world.
All worth a look at if you can or you will never know what's out there.

Excellent day out. Loads of exhibits to see and arranged well around a beautiful house and gardens. Coffee shop and restaurant on site. There is also a lift for disabled access as the museum/house is set over 2 floors. Recommended.

There is a fantastic art club on the 1st 2 Saturdays of the month. A wonderful place to visit and a firm family favourite with plenty to do. The grounds are dog friendly too, with lots of parking space

Had a wonderful day out with 2 granddaughters. Very well curated with new feel. Silver Swan is magical and captivated the girls. Splendid new hands on activity room with lots of resources and bright lights.g and decor. Cafe is sophisticated with lovely food and great service. Will be going again with our annual ticket.

Lovely museum. Lots of Art, clothes from different ages, mechanical wonders including the silver swan. The cafe was busy but they soon got people seated and service was swift.

An absolutely amazing building, steeped in fascinating history and containing thousands of interesting works of art, design and craft. To get the most out of this museum you should allow yourself time to wander, you could easily spend a whole day here looking through the exhibits. The Raymond Briggs showcase was on when we visited and it was absolutely astounding. Would definitely recommend.

Worth the ticket price. Free car park on site. Lovely cafe and gardens

Amazing Museum , lots and lotd to see.
There are 3 floors & the grounds to explore.
Theres a very nice cafe and gift shop aswell, all the staff are super friendly and cheerful very enthusiastic avout the museum which is nice :)
There is tons of parking in the grounds and toilets throughout the building ,also lift for accessibility to all levels.
We will return again shortly as we couldn't see it all in a single day :)

We Did Not Know What To Expect From This Museum As Its Our First Visit, But It Has More Than Exceeded Our Expectations, Very Welcoming When You Step Foot Inside And It's A Real Eye Opener To What's Inside. This Was An Amazing Experience And Reasonably Priced For What You See. The Museum Also Has An On Site Cafe And Gift Shop... A++

Great place to stop for a wander in the woods and admire the French style gardens. We didn't visit the museum itself but enjoyed a browse in the well stocked gift shop and had an early lunch in the cafe. Great gluten free options. Enjoyed a gluten free roast beef sandwich with crisps and side salad. Plenty parking on drive in front of the big house and in the car park behind. Very popular with dog walkers.

The most impressive building in the area that takes your breath away.

From educational sections to the famous Silver Swan automaton and original Carvaggio paintings, this is a must see.

English Heritage members get 10% off entry

A really crafty gem off the beaten track in North Yorkshire. The building itself is a marvel and the museum is excellently curated with abundant information and a variety of curiosities. You could spend anywhere between 2 - 4 hours here not including exploring the gardens. Well worth a visit.