Bowes museum to reopen in February
by Tom Walker | 08 Jan 2009
The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is set to complete its revamp during the year and will reopen to the public on 14 February.
The redevelopment work will be completed in stages and finished phases include the revamp of the Entrance Hall, with a more user friendly reception desk; a new glass corridor leading people to the upgraded Café Bowes; and the extension of the museum's retail facilities.
A second part of the revamp will be unveiled in April, when a new Silver and Metals Gallery will be introduced. The gallery will display silver by Paul Storr and other leading makers, figurative bronzes, clocks and watches, plus the Joseph collection of porcelain boxes formerly on loan to the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House.
To follow this in late Summer, a second new gallery – Textiles and Dress – will be opened to the public.
The Bowes Museum was created over 100 years ago by John and Joséphine Bowes. Together they built up one of the largest private collections of fine and decorative arts in the North of England and constructed a building to house them in.
The collection contains thousands of objects including furniture, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and many other items covering an extensive range of European styles and periods.
The Bowes Museum receives a core funding grant from Durham County Council and as a member of the North East Regional Museums Hub receives support from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport through the Museums, Library and Archives Council Renaissance programme.
The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is set to complete its revamp during the year and will reopen to the public on 14 February. The redevelopment work will be completed in stages and finished phases include the revamp of the Entrance Hall, with a more user friendly reception desk; a new glass corridor leading people to the upgraded Café Bowes; and the extension of the museum's retail facilities.
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