Bowes Museum

Surrounded by tranquil gardens and parkland in the historic market town of Barnard Castle, The Bowes Museum is a unique cultural icon.

A splendid 19th Century French style chateau, it contains one of Britain's leading collections of European art (including El Greco and Cannalletto). The huge an varied collection was put together by industrialist, John Bowes and his wife, Josephine, a French actress in just 15 years.

One of its most famous exhibits is the life size 230-year-old Silver Swan musical automaton, played every day to fascinated onlookers.  The Silver Swan was first seen at the 1867 Paris International Exhibition by the Bowes but it dates back to 1773. The American novelist, Mark Twain, also saw it at the Paris exhibition and wrote about it in his book 'The Innocents Abroad'.

The building itself is also a treasure - a highly ornamented French chateau designed by Parisian architect, Jules Pellechet, Pevsner called it 'gloriously inappropriate for the town to which it belongs'.

The Bowes Museum (along with Killhope) is part of a national programme (Museumaker) enabling museums to get young people to work with contemporary crafts people to develop their skills.