The Bowes Museum

The Bowes Museum opened to the public in 1892 and is the creation of John and Joséphine Bowes. John Bowes, the illegitimate son of the 10th Earl of Strathmore, was a successful business man who inherited his father’s wealth but not his title. In 1847 he moved to Paris and met Joséphine Coffin-Chevallier, an actress who became his wife. Their shared love of art led to the creation of a world-class museum in Teesdale, the place of John’s birth. The Museum is home to a collection of European fine art and decorative arts. Highlights include paintings by Goya, El Greco and Canaletto, ceramics from the Sèvres and Meissen factories, Monbro fils aîné furniture, an extensive textile and costume collection and the Museum’s iconic Silver Swan automaton. To complement the collections, The Bowes Museum offers an ongoing programme of exhibitions - often bringing objects of national and international significance to North East England.