Bowes Museum & Barnard Castle

Bowes Museum & Barnard Castle

Bowes Museum   
Come and enjoy a day excursion with a difference.   Join us to see the Silver Swan and many more amazing artifacts, exhibits and one of the largest art collections in the country.  The Bowes Museum was the home and dream of Josephine and John Bowes, who sadly did not see their dream come to fruition, but must surely be watching and be proud of their life's achievement and all the visitors that come to admire their Historic Home.

This wonderful former family home was home to John and Josephine Bowes.   

The Bowes Museum is an art gallery in the town of Barnard Castle, in County Durham.  It was built to designs by Jules Pellechet and John Edward Watson to house the art collection of John Bowes and his wife Joséphine Benoîte Coffin-Chevallier.  A businessman and the son of an Earl, John met Joséphine when he bought the Théâtre De Variétés in Paris, where she was an actress and they married in 1852.

Joséphine, an accomplished artist, indulged her passion for collecting and became a patron of the arts.  In 1862 she decided to sell John's wedding gift to her, their home in France, to start their Museum project so they could share their love of art with the people of Teesdale, near John’s family home.   Sadly neither of them lived to see their Museum open to the public in 1892.  The Bowes Museum has a rather famous resident.  The Silver Swan.   The Silver Swan is an automatum and is an absolutely amazing feat of engineering, it is facinating to watch with its graceful movements, a gem and a joy to behold. 

The story behind the Silver Swan is of a boy living by a Scottish loch, he sees a beautiful silver swan land on the water.  She remains at the loch, mates and there are soon five cygnets. The boy watches them in awe and pride