VISIT TO THE BOWES MUSEUM

The sun was shining when we first got up but sadly the weather deteriorated but it didn’t stop us going out. Sue and I made our way to Barnard Castle - going the pretty way- through lovely little villages such as Winston, Whorlton and Westwick - all with beautiful stone cottages and well-kept gardens - and the tulips are looking magnificent at the moment.

Once there we looked in one or two antique shops as Sue was looking for some Carlton Ware china - sadly she didn’t find any but I will be looking for it once I get back home and especially in the antiques arcades in Hungerford.

Our main destination, however, was the Bowes Museum on the edge of Barnard Castle. Until a couple of years ago, Sue was a tour guide there - so I was very fortunate to have my own personal guide. It was a delight to listen to her and as there weren’t too many people around she was able to spend some time explaining the history of the Museum - which was really interesting. It was purpose-built as a Museum In the 19th century in the style of a French Chateau and is very grand, as you can see in my collage.

I recognised the name Bowes-Lyon as that of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, her full names being Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, the wife of King George VI and the mother of our present Queen, Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. There is a memorial to the Queen Mother in the garden.

Sue was very knowledgeable, not only about the history of the family, but also about the furniture and artefacts in the Museum. Apparently, the house wasn’t built to be lived in but to be a Museum for all the beautiful pieces of furniture and wonderful treasures many of which were bought in France when John and Joséphine Bowes lived there. These include porcelain, china, jewellery, glass, silver and clocks together with paintings by Canaletto, El Greco, Goya, Gainsborough and other Old Masters as well as Joséphine, who was a well-renowned artist herself.

There was also a Textile and Dress Exhibition, which was amazing including some beautiful embroidery. Several pieces caught my eye because this collection was donated by the Sisters of the Poor Clare’s Abbey of Darlington. These included vestments, embroideries and silks brought from Rouen in 1794 - and I thought one of my Blip friends, who is a Sister with the Poor Clare’s in Scotland, would be interested.

The Silver Swan is a magnificent 18th century automaton, but we decided just to look at it and not wait until it was working at 2 pm as we had to get back - you can see this in the middle of the collage, above a shot of one of the beautiful staircases.

Before we left we visited the café and had a ham and pease pudding sandwich followed by a slice of Yorkshire Curd Tart - and you can see Sue enjoying hers. It was delicious but not as nice as the one Sue’s Mum used to make when we visited her many years ago.

There was so much to see and we didn’t cover a quarter of it - so perhaps I need to come back - especially as my ticket allows me to come back and visit without further payment for the next year.

Sue was impressed that on our way out, I didn’t even go into the shop - Mr. HCB would also be impressed!

“Architecture is a visual art
and the buildings
speak for themselves.”
Julia Morgan

PS Thank you for all your lovely comments on yesterday’s Blip - I’ve had to stand outside in the rain to upload this so sorry for the lack of comments!