Bowes Museum (Barnard Castle)
The Bowes Museum is a wonderful feature of the historic market town of Barnard Castle in County Durham.
Standing back from the road, it was built in the French chateau style in 1869 for the wealthy John Bowes and his French wife.
It has stunning collections of furniture, paintings, textiles and ceramics.
The famous automaton known as the Silver Swan is the only one of its kind in the world. First mentioned in 1774 and made by John Cox, it was on display in a house off Fleet Street in London in the 18th century. Today, it performs each day at 2pm.
There is an excellent tea shop, formal gardens and parkland covering 21 acres.