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The Great Britain Guide logoThe Great Britain Guide

Galleries · North East England

Bowes Museum

In or near Startforth.

VictorianEnglish HeritagePaid admission♿ Wheelchair accessible👪 Family-friendly4.6 · 3,285 Google reviews

Bowes Museum — art museum in Barnard Catle, England, United Kingdom.

Bowes Museum, galleries in North East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Best time of year
Year-round
  • Paid entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Wheelchair accessible

Getting there & planning your visit

The Bowes Museum is located in County Durham, with the postcode DL12 8NP. Entry is paid, and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

Directions on Google Maps →

Visit on thebowesmuseum.org.uk

About

Bowes Museum is an art gallery in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1892. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Managed by English Heritage. Address: DL12 8NP. Wikidata describes it as: "art museum in Barnard Catle, England, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 54.5417°, -1.9157°.

Photo gallery

See it from the streetimagery from 2022

Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0

Summary from the official site

The Bowes Museum is a cultural institution showcasing a diverse collection of art, fashion, and design. Visitors can explore various exhibitions, including a notable upcoming showcase of Vivienne Westwood's work, and enjoy family-friendly activities in its beautiful parkland.

Read more on the official property page.

Protected designations

  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: North Pennines

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

The Bowes Museum is an art gallery in the town of Barnard Castle, in County Durham in northern England. 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, and opened in 1892. It contains paintings by El Greco, Francisco Goya, Canaletto, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, together with several collections of decorative art, especially porcelain, textiles, tapestries, clocks and costumes, and objects of local historical interest. Some early works of Émile Gallé were commissioned by Coffin-Chevallier. A popular showpiece is a life-size eighteenth-century Silver Swan automaton, which periodically preens itself, looks round and appears to catch and swallow a fish.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The Bowes Museum was purpose-built as a public art gallery for John Bowes and his wife Joséphine Benoîte Coffin-Chevallier, Countess of Montalbo, who both died before it opened in 1892. Bowes was the son of John Bowes, the 10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, although he did not inherit the title as he was deemed illegitimate under Scottish law. His grandmother was Mary Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It was designed with the collaboration of two architects, the French architect Jules Pellechet and John Edward Watson of Newcastle. The building is richly modelled, with large windows, engaged columns, projecting bays, and mansard roofs typical of the French Second Empire, set…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
54.5417, -1.9157
Parish
Barnard Castle
Postcode
DL12 8NP
Parliamentary constituency
Bishop Auckland
Phone
+44 1833 690606
Established
1892
Opening
Daily 10am–5pm; closed 24–26 Dec

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Bowes Museum?
Bowes Museum is in North-East England, United Kingdom (postcode DL12 8NP), in the parish of Barnard Castle.
What is Bowes Museum?
Bowes Museum — art museum in Barnard Catle, England, United Kingdom.
How do I get to Bowes Museum?
Drivers can use postcode DL12 8NP.
When was Bowes Museum built?
Built or established in 1892.
Who runs Bowes Museum?
Bowes Museum is operated by English Heritage.
Is Bowes Museum a listed building?
Bowes Museum is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
Is Bowes Museum a protected site?
Yes — Bowes Museum is part of the North Pennines National Landscape (AONB).
How do I get to Bowes Museum?
Drivers can navigate to postcode DL12 8NP. It sits within the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency.