The Bowes Museum
The Bowes Museum is an art museum. Look for it within Barnard Castle’s built-up area. It is protected as a Grade I listed building.
Museum in Barnard Castle
One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
#410 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (12 Wikipedias). About ↓
Inside Barnard Castle
The Bowes Museum is inside Barnard Castle’s built-up area, with 4 more places to visit within 5 km. Towns near it ↓
Cared for by English Heritage
One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓
Grade I listed building
On the official list of protected heritage; Barnard Castle has 227 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓
Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Weather through the year
Afternoons in Barnard Castle peak at 17–19°C, June to August.
The Bowes Museum
Its care is managed by English Heritage. Wikipedia covers it in 12 languages. There are 9 more places to see within 15 km, beginning with Barnard Castle Grounds (700 m).
- Type
- Museum
- Run by
- English Heritage
- Listed
- Grade I listed building
- Wikipedias
- Covered in 12 languages
- Town
- in Barnard Castle
- Official site
- thebowesmuseum.org.uk
Opening times and entry
- EntryA fee is charged
The Bowes Museum on the map
The map puts The Bowes Museum in orange and numbers its neighbours as in the list.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · The dashed line is Barnard Castle’s built-up area. · ONS built-up area 2022
Where people come from
Barnard Castle, with 5,783 people, is the largest of the 8. Start with its own town; the others follow by distance.
Barnard Castle
Startforth
Cotherstone
Staindrop
Compare the 8 towns
| Town | Where The Bowes Museum is | People | Places to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard Castle | It’s in town | 5,783 | 5 |
| Startforth | 500 m west of it | 1,391 | 5 |
| Cotherstone | 4.9 km northwest of it | 554 | 3 |
| Staindrop | 8.3 km northeast of it | 1,339 | 2 |
| Cockfield | 10 km northeast of it | 1,351 | 1 |
| Mickleton | 11 km northwest of it | 388 | 0 |
| Gainford | 12 km east of it | 1,127 | 2 |
| Evenwood | 13 km northeast of it | 1,587 | 2 |
After The Bowes Museum
A visit can add 4 castles, 2 historic houses and an abbey or priory, from 9 places within 15 km.
Castle · English HeritageBarnard Castle Grounds700 m away2
Abbey or priory · English HeritageEgglestone Abbey1.4 km away3
CastleRaby Castle9.1 km away4CastleCastle · English HeritageBowes Castle6.9 km away5
Historic houseRokeby Park3.4 km away6
Historic houseLartington Hall3.7 km away7
Fort · English HeritageStanwick Camp13 km away8CastleCastleRavensworth Castle12 km awayWithin 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.
Visiting The Bowes Museum
Where is The Bowes Museum?
The Bowes Museum is in Barnard Castle, County Durham, inside the town’s built-up area.
What is The Bowes Museum?
Art museum in Barnard Catle, England, United Kingdom.
Who runs The Bowes Museum?
English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.
When is the best time to visit The Bowes Museum?
June to August are the warmest months in Barnard Castle, with afternoon highs of 17–19°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).
Is The Bowes Museum a listed building?
Yes: Grade I listed building.
What else is there to see near The Bowes Museum?
Within 15 km: Barnard Castle Grounds (700 m), Egglestone Abbey (1.4 km), Raby Castle (9.1 km) and Bowes Castle (6.9 km).
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (7)
- The Bowes Museum: Alden Chadwick, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Barnard Castle Grounds: Robert Scarth from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Egglestone Abbey: Jonathan Oldenbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Raby Castle: malcolm tebbit, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rokeby Park: Oliver Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lartington Hall: TSP, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stanwick Camp: Lizzyp at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.