The Bowes Museum
Barnard Castle, County Durham
View on Google MapsPhoto: ghislaine headland-vanni
About The Bowes Museum
This grand French-style château in County Durham houses an impressive collection of fine and decorative arts, with an onsite restaurant to refuel during your cultural adventure.
What's nearby
- St Mary's Catholic Church 200m away
- Barnard Castle Fire Station 200m away
- Barnard Castle School 250m away
- St Mary's RC Primary School 400m away
- St. Mary’s Anglican Church 500m away
Distances as the crow flies, via Google
Good to know
Parking
- ✓Free car park
- ✓Free street
Accessibility
- ✓Accessible parking
- ✓Accessible entrance
- ✓Accessible toilet
- ✓Accessible seating
Payment
- ✓Contactless
Details via Google — worth confirming with the attraction before you travel, especially for access needs.
Photos
Photos via Google
Opening hours
- Monday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Current hours may differ from the usual schedule above (e.g. holidays) — check Google Maps for today's hours.
What visitors say
Absolutely beautiful place! The building and grounds itself are worth a look, even before seeing the collections. Obviously, for me, the silver swan is the jewel in the crown. Absolutely stunning piece and worth waiting to see it in action, though sadly now, to protect it from breaking down, it only plays for a very short spell. Love the fact that the staff set chairs up, in advance of the showing to ensure everyone can see because people aren't right on top of it. They also bring a little trolley of Bowes Museum merchandise up to! I loved this idea! 😆 Great cafe, with fair pricing and table service. Good gift shop, too. Staff on reception were very good at explaining pricing options for tickets/passes. Whilst it does have activities and children's areas, I feel not all the collection is appealing to the younger audiences so younger ones may get a little bored. However, beautiful building, toilets, cafe, shop, grounds so worth a visit.
· via Google
This is an incredible fine art museum. There is a huge variety of art to see. It's not just paintings, but also furniture, ceramics, metal objects, fashion and textiles. Allow plenty of time. The highlight is the Silver Swan, a 30-lb automaton made over 250 year ago and still working. There's a display at 2 pm every day. Fashion fans will enjoy the current Vivienne Westwood, exhibition, on until Sept Next year 2027, there will be a David Bowie tribute exhibition. The Bowes is a fascinating place to visit.
· via Google
Went for the Vivienne Westwood exhibition. So much more to see. Could easily spend a full day there. Fantastic cheese scone in the cafe too!
· via Google
What a wonderful day we had exploring top to bottom of the galleries ( and back up again to see the Silver Swan in action ). From ceramics to paintings, from religious artifacts to fashion and from outright stunning to simple pleasures its all there in this museum. The cafe was great both for the coffee and scones on arrival to a superb lunch all looked after by the lovely staff.
· via Google
Visitors say this museum features a wide variety of art, ceramics, and textiles, with the Silver Swan automaton being a highlight. They also mention the cafe offers delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices, and the staff are friendly and helpful.
Summary via Google
At a glance
- Address
- Newgate, Barnard Castle, DL12 8NP Get directions
- Category
- Museums & Galleries
- Guest rating
- 4.6 / 5 (3,344 reviews)
- Suitable for
- All Ages
- Setting
- Indoor & outdoor
- Good for children
- Yes
- Toilets on site
- Yes
- Destination
- Barnard Castle