Excellent museum and grounds. Hugely interesting story of the couple who built and collected items to fill it. Very high quality exhibits, across a broad spectrum from furniture, silverware, ceramics and paintings to religious artifacts. The staff seem genuinely excited to work here and were very knowledgeable. Once purchased the ticket lasts for 12 months and the on site restaurant was also 5 star.

This place is amazing. Such a diverse range of items on show from vintage toys, fashion, gorgeous furniture, modern art, curiosities and of course the famous Swan. The swan is absolutely stunning, however you can't see it work at the moment as it needs renovation work. Their is a video to show you it working and the history of it. Good access for disabled visitors like myself. Lift to each floor and accessible toilet.

Gorgeous piece of architecture, with wonderful paths around the property for a leisurely walk. We loved that the grounds are open even after the museum itself closes down. With a visit, even for just a walk, if you find yourself in the area.

Excellent day out. Loads of exhibits to see and arranged well around a beautiful house and gardens. Coffee shop and restaurant on site. There is also a lift for disabled access as the museum/house is set over 2 floors. Recommended.

Such a lovely museum both inside and out. The silver swan automaton is a site to behold. Nice walks in the grounds. The restaurant /cafe serve lovely & reasonably priced food. I recommend the seafood chowder. Looking forward to returning.

What a beautiful museum, always something of interest to see, especially like the focus on costume / fashion. You need a whole day as there is so much to see. Portrait galleries are stunning. Cafe is excellent, easy to park. It is quite dear to get in...I think you may be able to visit all year for less than we paid for the day but I wasn't told that when I paid and would have gone for that option as it was cheaper! Also gift aid option is more expensive which I don't understand as they claim it back.

A great museum. The collections are amazing, paintings, furniture a whole load of stuff, to numerous to mention. Staff are very helpful and friendly. Cafe is excellent and offers good food options.

We only checked the outside, and still it was a calming experience. Sat on the benches and rolled on the grass, have the atmosphere under a shining sun. You can definitely visit any time of the day even after the Museum closed on the route of walking around the town.

Wow ! What an amazing museum So much to see, with star of the show being the 260 year old silver automaton swan. Add to that the wonderful costume collection and an art exhibition that includes two Canalettos. Great little restaurant also.

Fabulous museum with so much to see you’ll probably need a second visit. The Silver Swan exhibit was particularly wonderful. It’s a stunning building to with a lovely cafe and friendly staff throughout. Loads of car parking spaces and well looked after toilet facilities.

We visited Bowes on the Heritage Day & it certainly attracted hundreds of people as well. I had read up about the museum prior to our visit but even so just blown away by the sheer size of it. We arrived early Saturday afternoon & parked at the front of the museum & went for lunch. The restaurant was very busy but they say its that busy every weekend! After lunch we took the lift (yes there's a lift) to the 3rd floor & the Art gallery. Just blown away by the beautiful landscape pictures on display. Other galleries to look out for are the Ceramic & Furnishings. We also saw the famous automata Swan & a Clothes gallery. Lovely way to spend the afternoon. Staff were very helpful.

If I could only visit this place or Barnard Castle this would win hands down. The magnificent French Château houses a fabulous collection of treasures; Porcelain, Textiles, Paintings, Furniture, Decorative interiors, Silverware and much more. I recommend starting your visit by watching the short film (15 minutes) on the first floor which provides you with some history on the Bowes family and how this collection came to be created as a joint enterprise between John and Josephine Bowes in the later part of the 19th Century. The free pamphlet available on entry gives a good overall guide to the museum layout. I easily spent two hours here, but if your pushed for time and just have an hour, the guide recommends a "top ten" list of "must see" items, together with a map of their locations. The most famous of these is the beautiful Silver Swan musical automaton. A video in the same room shows it in operation. The collection of paintings in the large galleries on the 2nd floor took my breath away. There are two Canalettos amonst this collection and a fine Flemish Altarpiece, both included in the top ten items to see. Be warned that you might miss the later as I did the first time around. The Altarpiece is only opened out at 12.00 noon and close at 4.45pm. There is a good caffe on the ground floor that serves breakfast and lunch. They do a good Full English breakfast. The place is Wheelchair accessible with lifts to both upper floors.

Superb museum in a grand 19th Century “chateau’. The silver swan is wonderful…..surprisingly old 1770s. I understand it needs protecting but found the case it sits in too close around it and the lights too blue. There are some excellent paintings, including a Goya. The fashion displays were really enjoyable. Well worth a visit.

Well worth the visit on a Sunny February day. Very interesting range of exhibits and informative galleries. Caters for all ages. Entrance fee gives access for a full twelve months so very good value. Cafe was excellent. We will return.

Lovely afternoon here! Very informative and a huge variety of pieces! The Swan is beautiful! Like nothing I've ever seen before! The short video on the Swan is definitely worth a watch. It's a shame The Bowes never got to open the museum, but such a lovely reminder of them throughout! Polite and helpful staff! Lovely well kept grounds. Free parking. Tickets are valid for a year! Bonus! Didn't make it to the cafe but will most likely return as we enjoyed the museum so much! Couldn't help but wish I was allowed to explore the private areas of this beautiful building!😍

Wow This is a total gem of a museum - a must see if you are anywhere near the area. The building itself is amazing. The collection is a mish mash but a joy to see. The famous silver swan is no longer working but still worth seeing. Overall a great museum

Great day out and great value tickets are valid for a full year from purchase. Fascinating exhibits take time to get around to make sure you see everything. Nice relaxing environment. Cafe is great too.

Went here years ago, very interesting.

Our families enjoy beautiful bowes museum specially ❤ 💕 beautiful Christmas 🎄 and excellent service ♥ ❤. Thank you very much for great service. Shop in love sweet fruits Jelly yummy. Our.princess enjoy Christmas biscuits and Dad book story.

23/09/2020 Glad we booked this today as it was raining and its all indoors. Some fascinating stuff to look at and learn about. Shame the animated Swan wasn't going die to Covid-19 I'm sure they could somehow have it going & limit people who stand watching. Disappointed not to see it running. We didn't do the grounds because of the weather today, but the house was beautiful spent a good 2 hours wandering around it.

An absolutely amazing building, steeped in fascinating history and containing thousands of interesting works of art, design and craft. To get the most out of this museum you should allow yourself time to wander, you could easily spend a whole day here looking through the exhibits. The Raymond Briggs showcase was on when we visited and it was absolutely astounding. Would definitely recommend.

Amazing Museum , lots and lotd to see. There are 3 floors & the grounds to explore. Theres a very nice cafe and gift shop aswell, all the staff are super friendly and cheerful very enthusiastic avout the museum which is nice :) There is tons of parking in the grounds and toilets throughout the building ,also lift for accessibility to all levels. We will return again shortly as we couldn't see it all in a single day :)

Visited today. Loads of old stuff (tat) to look at. There is a big painting of a cow a mechanical arm playing notes on an organ and someone in a shark suit on a skateboard riding into a river; made the hour drive worth it! The staff were great, some were as stuff as the antiquities. Bought a local season ticket as it was cheap er than a day ticket still £27. Don’t think I will be using it again. Had a look in the cafe did fancy a sandwich for £8. Woke Christmas / merry winter😂

Came to see the silver swan. I first saw this when i was 6 yrars old and thought it was magical. Even though the mechanics dont work, there is a short film of how it was restored and how it was back in the day. It brought back fond childhood memories.

Lovely museum. Lots of Art, clothes from different ages, mechanical wonders including the silver swan. The cafe was busy but they soon got people seated and service was swift.

A really crafty gem off the beaten track in North Yorkshire. The building itself is a marvel and the museum is excellently curated with abundant information and a variety of curiosities. You could spend anywhere between 2 - 4 hours here not including exploring the gardens. Well worth a visit.

Fascinating museum and art gallery with integral restaurant. Within walking distance of Barnard Castle. Our first visit, and we were not disappointed. Very special art galleries. Famous for the Silver Swan atomaton, which was being refurbished at the time of our visit.

Beautiful building and so much art work and exhibits you need more than one visit. Excellent menu and service at the Bowes Café and gift shop stocked good quality items. The lift was the smoothest I think I've ever used! Couldn't fault the place.

Fantastic museum. The lifelong project of John and Josephine Bowes. They had the museum built and then collected 15000 objects to display to the public. Other family and friends bequeathed their collections to the Bowes. So many wonderful objects to see. Shop, toilets, cafe, learning and children's area. Lots of parking. Check website for entry price options

Still following all covid rules, not busy today so plenty of room and time to meander and read,very interesting history, the Silver Swan is definitely worth a visit. The cafe is lovely, breakfast sandwich and warm cheese scone yummy. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately weather not good enough to explore grounds but just means we will have to come back again and use our Over 60 annual pass!!! Some advantages to getting a little older!!!

Great day out with the kids. Lovely museum with many good exhibits. It was nice to see there were activities for the kids too and I would love to see more added. Well worth a visit

This is a real mixed bag with some real treasures which are not necessarily the ones they identify in the leaflet. Look around and find your own. Cafe pretty good as well. After the museum go look round the town and have a great hot chocolate in the secret garden behind the chocolate shop.

It's a beautiful place to visit, this is our second time but only walked around the woodland walk today being sheltered from the wind in the glorious sunny weather which illuminated the "chateau"!.

Fantastic museum a local and national treasure. Give yourself a full day to visit And enjoy the grounds and amenities

This museum impresses with its appearance. It is very beautiful and interesting. And my son was impressed that all famous exhibits are reflected in lego constructors.

There is a fantastic art club on the 1st 2 Saturdays of the month. A wonderful place to visit and a firm family favourite with plenty to do. The grounds are dog friendly too, with lots of parking space

A wonderful if eclectic collection of amazing artefacts and precious unique items of significance. The story of the couple who build the magnificent building and collected the contents for the benefit of the public. Adequate parking. Modest entrance fee. Good onsite cafe and interesting gift shop with unusual items for purchase. Check in the guidebook for the times of specific presentations and the automatic music room recital. Don't miss the wonderful animated lifesize silver swan!

Beautiful Bowes museum. I used to love visiting as a child and was always fascinated with th silver Swan and looked forward to seeing it wound up and watching the magical moments. Visiting with my granddaughter was magical and she enjoyed seeing the Swan and watching the history of it. Visiting Santa was also magical, the activities before including ac12vdays of Christmas hunt and Christmas crafts with Mrs Claus were a great way to keep occupied before heading in to the grotto. My granddaughter was true to her word to him and went to bed early on Christmas Eve. Staff were all helpful and friendly and we enjoyed lunch in the cafe along with purchasing our silver Swan mementos in the gift shop. We were lucky on the day of our visit that the weather was sunny, so we made the most of time outside in gardens and play area. A fantastic day which brought back happy childhood memories for me and created new ones for my granddaughter. Thank you Bowes Museum, see you soon.

Excellent place to visit, we visited this place last year and didn't see everything, so we returned this year to complete our tour. There are so many interesting collections to see, and it is very informative. Also if you stay for lunch the food is very good at a reasonable price 👌 👍

What a fantastic museum, unfortunately the silver swan was in need of repair. The exhibitions were brilliant 👏

Definitely a places to visit, turning through the gates , the sight of the museum is a great wow. Parking is free, your ticket once paid is valid for a year. From portraits, to seeing the silver swan(clickwork) fashion throughout the century's, cafè to have a lunch or a relaxing coffee/tea etc. Well worth going.

We Did Not Know What To Expect From This Museum As Its Our First Visit, But It Has More Than Exceeded Our Expectations, Very Welcoming When You Step Foot Inside And It's A Real Eye Opener To What's Inside. This Was An Amazing Experience And Reasonably Priced For What You See. The Museum Also Has An On Site Cafe And Gift Shop... A++

Great place to stop for a wander in the woods and admire the French style gardens. We didn't visit the museum itself but enjoyed a browse in the well stocked gift shop and had an early lunch in the cafe. Great gluten free options. Enjoyed a gluten free roast beef sandwich with crisps and side salad. Plenty parking on drive in front of the big house and in the car park behind. Very popular with dog walkers.

Visited recently as the museum had been on my list for a long time. Not disappointed! Absolutely wonderful, and the history of the purpose built building and its founders is fascinating. Includes very popular cafe/restaurant serving local produce.

Beautiful chateau with a captivating history. The museum is fabulous, especially the art galleries - my favourites are the two of Venice by Canaletto. Lovely cafe and shop. Short stroll into Barnard Castle. Ticket is valid all year. Highly recommended. 😊

What a lovely museum, took 3 hrs to see everything. The 250 year old automated silver Swan is a must see. Would definitely recommend.

Nice day out at the Christmas market. Museums currently closed

Some lovely exhibits and gardens, underused. It's always quiet.

Excellent place and great change for a visit. I'm not a natural trust advocate so I'm surprised this is SO good.

Very enjoyable. Would recommended, went their with parents and would go again the whole complex is beautiful and gorgeous

Went here at half term, with kids on the recommendation of an article from the northern echo. All the stuff was free which I assumed this would be too. I was wrong, it was £30 for a family ticket. Not much for the kids, inf fact my 4 year-old asked if this trip out was a prank. It's not terrible but a bit dull and overpriced for kids.

Fabulous museum, with some great permanent collections. Also home to the famous silver swan. Unfortunately, it was not performing when I visited, as it was being serviced. Allow lots of time for your visit, you could spend several hours here with so much to see. There is fortunately, a great little cafe.

Museum closed, we walked in the gardens.

Staff so polite and helpful

Very disappointed. Paid £5 each to walk outside around a handful of stalls and could not go around the museum. Large huddles of people trying to get to the front of the stalls forgetting the social distance rule .Only to visit the shop to buy products. Wont be going again next year .

Great Xmas market under Covid restrictions but managed very well to maintain safety & to enjoy an open air shopping experience with festive overtunes 😍😍😍

Went for the Christmas Market. Beautiful setting and walks (albeit a bit cold on the day we went), lovely venue

brilliant. going again soon , cafe was lovely too

Beautiful surroundings unfortunately museum itself is closed at the moment. When it's open it's definitely worth visiting.

We spent a good three hours here. There's so much to see, so many collections and fabulous art work. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the animatronic silver swan in action due to Covid so will definitely go back for another visit! Lovely cafe too.

Great museum to while away an hour or two. It was quiet when we visited and the gardens were impressive with plenty of picnic spots. Free plentiful parking too. Rain or shine, the Bowes Museum is somewhere that can be revisited.

An excellent visit. A lovely place to visit. The Cornish exhibition was a real bonus, superb. Post Covid both the museum and cafe are very well organised. It feels very safe yet relaxed.

I really enjoyed my day here. Especially the showing of the Silver Swan

Fantastic museum. Stunning building and gardens. Beautiful interior, full of fascinating history and artefacts. A must. The cafe was also very nice with a wide range of food/drinks.

Absolutely great place! An amazing building with an incredible collection! Nice cafe too! Will definitely visit again! 😀

Did an outdoor guided tour our compere had connections to the site when his grandfather was one of three live in attendants. History you forget or are not taught in school. Currently there is a Miner turned artist exhibition NormanCornwall we spent three hours having booked online. Need at least one more visit to see all the lovely objects

Fantastically historic building and superb exhibits especially the swan automaton. I visited for the Christmas market which was quite superb with a variety of food, produce and craft stalls.

It’s been delighting visitors for more than 100 years, and now a £12m revamp has transformed The Bowes Museum into a must see 21st Century place to visit. A romantic history, stunning galleries, great location, fine dining, top class exhibitions, family fun events, a thriving toddler group – all these can be discovered inside this fabulous listed building which resembles a French chateau.And that’s not all. It’s surrounded by parkland, woodland walks, formal gardens and a newly opened children’s play area.

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A wonderful morning out. My lovely husband took my daughter to Bowes' little play park whilst I went to to and see the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition. Lots of grounds for a toddler to run around!

Stunning inside and out. Lots to see. Socal distancing perfect. Felt very safe. All staff were very helpful. coffee shop, food was really good Amazing scones Reasonably priced too.

Fantastic

Spent a lovely afternoon here today. Staff couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful, and our party of three felt very reassured by the Museum's covid precautions. Efficient, very friendly table service in the cafe. Very few fellow visitors so really got to enjoy the exhibits. Well worth a visit to support this brilliant spot.

This museum has the wow factor inside and out! Great exhibitions, really good cafe and shop and lovely grounds!

Great place

Amazing vision by the original owners. Great selection of paintings and ceramic s. Nice tea shop.

Nice lunch

Amazing place

Fantastic museum full of great Art.

The sad history of this as an, albeit very grand, family home is more than made up for by it's current role as a home for a fascinating and eclectic collection, on a par with the London museums. Add to this an excellent cafe/restaurant and a trip here is totally worthwhile.

Brilliant. Fantastic building and interesting exhibitions

Interesting place lovely paintings and exhibitions. Cafe was nice food was lovely

At £14 a head to enter we found it a bit to rich for us.

Absolute gem with very high standards of safety for Covid. Lovely staff to impart knwledge of the exhibitions and the cafe is a real treat. Wonderful place to spend a relaxing day.

Ideal place to learn about history and fashion and textiles

Worth a visit

Unfortunately wasnt able to go in as booking in advance needed due to covid, but the surrounding area certainly is beautiful, with some lovely walks. I loved the carved statues and the BFG!

The museum hosts a great collection of ceramics and art, and you can easily while away a few hours reading all of the information presented. The cafe is excellent value for money, and the staff were friendly and helpful. As at the time of posting this review, the ticket price is £14 per person for adults. Whilst this does get you an annual pass to come back as many times as you want (great if you're local), as a tourist that's unlikely to come back this year, I thought the price was on the high end of reasonable. That said, we did spend a good 3 hours in the Museum.

Super day out. Fabulous cafe too. Highly recommend. Eclectic mix of exhibits and art.

Beautiful grounds. Nice pumpkin hunt. Cafe glacially slow.