the bowes museum

Brilliant memorable place full of interesting artifacts and history very interesting and Flog it was a great fun day out.

The bowes museum is in a beautiful location which tremendous surroundings. Entry to the museum is verging on the expensive side when compared with other museums. It's better value if you get the 6 month pass. Items in the museum are ok. We missed the silver swan which was a bit disappointing. If going again I would make sure I was there well before 2pm.Some of the paintings were quite nice but the lighting is atrocious and so many of the paintings cannot be seen close-up due to reflection of the lighting.Gift shop has some nice unusual items.

Visited here today. Very interesting museum. Lots of things to see. Went to the second floor at 2 pm to watch the silver swan automaton work. A member of staff gave a talk about it, but unfortunately we were over the other side of the room and were unable to hear him. May I suggest that he is equipped with a microphone to enable everyone to hear the information about the automaton .Had lunch in the Bowes Cafe. A very good meal of Welsh rarebit topped with treacle cured bacon and salad. The only thing that spoilt the lunch was that the tea in the teapot was very, very strong and alyjough we were supplied with a jug of hot water, the tanin taste remained.Free wifi in the cafe was a bonus. Thoroughly recommend a visit here.

The Bowes Museum is well worth a few hours of your time. Because it is a Victorian grand private collection there are both mainstream (eg. Canalettos) and eclectic things (eg. original benefactors' paintings). This was purpose built as a museum, though it looks like a grand French Chateau from the outside. We loved the famous swan automaton but much else besides. It's only 4 stars on this occasion solely because some of the rooms were closed and being refurbished. It's definitely worth a visit.

I bought a discount voucher for the museum which was approximately half price but would have gladly paid the fuĺl admission. We went on a Saturday and arrived at opening time. We took just over 2 hours to have a leisurely walk around but unfortunately we did not get to see the silver swan working as this only happens once a day although we did sit through a very interesting video which explained the building of the museum and we got to see the swan work in that. We did not have a walk around the grounds as it was freezing cold but plan to come back in the spring/summer when the gardens are at their best. I would highly recommend a visit to this museum.

We had a great day out at the bowes museum I had not been since I was a child and my partner had never been before, we went through an offer on groupon. The staff were very pleasant and we saw the silver swan at 2pm!

With its elevated position and magnificent architecture, this large and impressive museum and art gallery standing in its own gardens, is a worthy attraction. This was our second visit. We combined this with a special half-term children's educational programme featuring animal expert Jay. Trained at Edinburgh Zoo, Jay's one hour inter-active lectures are so popular that he is much in demand. Our 12-year-old , like the other youngsters in his group was introduced to a variety of creatures including a tarantula, scorpion, snakes, hedgehog and meerkat which they were allowed to touch as were the parents. We all learned a lot from Jay who was trained at Edinburgh Zoo.Admission for this event was £5 per child and free for parents; excellent value. Normal entrance charges are £10 per adult.The Museum has three levels to explore which display a variety of paintings, ceramics, costumes, silver and metal, fabrics and furniture as well as decorative items such as magnificent clocks. Works by famous painters include those of Turner, El Greco, Goya and one of my favourites, Canalleto’s Venetian scenes.One of the big draws is the 18th century life-size Silver Swan which, at 2pm each afternoon provides an incredible, if brief, thirty second automation. For those who like French furniture there are pieces from three distinct periods: Louis X1V, Louis XV and Louis XV1.Younger visitors can take advantage of a special audio guide narrated by a professional story teller and there’s also a shop to buy souvenirs on the ground floor.The Museum has its own cafe serving, amongst other items, home-made cakes and scones and menus offering local sourced produce.However car parking is sometimes difficult as on busy days the available spaces can quickly fill up, even those on the rather steep incline and exit roads. The car park behind the museum is the best choice and is connected by pathways to the entrance.

We visited as a family group from 3 year old's to OAP's and we all enjoyed it for different reasons.The facilities available in the galleries helped engage the young ones to observe the exhibits with crayons, pencils and colouring sheets available. The remarkable collection in this imposing building put together by the Bowes in a few short years has now been complemented by some contemporary exhibits that helps make the visit stimulating. Where it reminded me of the V&A, was that the variety of items on display mean that although you are unlikely to enjoy every gallery, there is something that everyone can enjoy.It's unfortunate that to display all the paintings means that some are so high up it's difficult to examine them and in some galleries it's difficult to identify the objects. Maybe a fresh approach to better labelling or signing the exhibits would make the visit more informative.Finally, I'm pleased to say they do allow photography in the galleries which to me enhances a visit to any gallery or museum.

This is a fabulous museum surely something for everyone. It is crammed full of some many beautiful items from silver to glasswear, furniture and art. Loved it beacause so many things are displayed in concise but clever ways, The cutlery and coins were inside double sided glass cases so you were able to view them from all angles.The fantastic mechanical silver swan from the 1850s was amazing, but only switched on for 30 seconds a day and we were able to witness it!At the moment there is a great couture display of Feathers And Plumes with fabulous dresses from McQueen,Muglar,Prada Gucci and many others. Wow not to be missed.A great museum for all ages including children, will definately visit again soon

This is a not bad museum at all. Visiting here did not ruin my day, and I would gladly come again on a day when the Donnelly Museum was closed.

This is the second time we have visited the Bowes museum, the building is stunning inside and out, with huge impressive staircases. The museum makes more sense when you realise that it was built specifically to house the Bowes collection of art and artefacts, although there is also a changing programme of temporary exhibitions. There is probably "something for everyone" here. As it was half term and a wet and windy day, the museum was very busy, lots of families with young children running amok! It never fails to amaze me that some parents think it is fine to let their offspring run riot with no regard for other visitors. However, we managed to find a number of quiet areas in between the mayhem. We visited the cafe which was again very busy. This is quite a small area for so many tables, it was all a bit cramped and rather noisy, but the service was very good, the beetroot and courgette soup was delicious but the tea rather tasteless. The sandwiches were fine but quite expensive for what they were. Now we have been back it will probably be another fifteen years until we visit again.

Its always a treat to visit Bowes Museum at any time of the year but my friend and I wanted to see the Fur & Feather exhibition and for me, to see the nearly repaired and very, very shiny Swan! The exhibition didn't disappoint with ingenious ways of using feathers - hen, cock, pheasant, peacock, swan, goose and ostrich to name a few into dresses, shoes (wow, seriously wow!), handbags, hats, etc. I love art so its always nice to wander through the galleries admiring all the superb paintings. Sadly the ceramic dept is closed for restoration and cleaning but that'll be another treat on my next visit.Always something to see, lots for the children to do too, and its just a great way to spend a day.If you haven't been, go! You won't be disappointed.

This really is for the dedicated art lover. Yes beautiful building and grounds but at a cost of £9 per person to view the paintings was a bit too much and one I declined to pay

Took my fashion designing daughter to visit the current fashion exhibit,which she loved,but as ever this majestic building overshadowed it's contents. The Bowes is the custodian of many exquisite pieces and is always a delight to view,and we shall always visit it.

What an amazing place - the building, the gardens, the art and the swan. I love the silver swan. Also enjoyed the kids activities which were put on for the holiday and afternoon tea in the cafe.