Winter at The Bowes Museum

4 November – 31 December

Create unforgettable moments this festive season! 

Soak up the festive atmosphere at The Bowes Museum and enjoy a perfect day out surrounded by masterpieces, nature and seasonal charm. Our ever-popular Winter Market makes a welcome return, offering unique gifts and local produce, while artist-led workshops inspire creativity and a winter trail invites discovery across the museum grounds. There’s something for every visitor to celebrate the magic of the season. 

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Activities for Families and Young People

Stay and Play

Time for The Bowes’ youngest visitors to explore and play in the Conversation Gallery, investigate materials and be creative in this self-led, free-play session. Suitable for children up to 5 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

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Close-up of a display featuring two small ceramic animal figurines—a white cat with blue and green painted details in the foreground and a brown dog positioned slightly behind. Surrounding the figurines are colorful origami pieces in red, green, purple, and yellow, set against a bright red background.

Pet Pottery Painting

Feeling inspired by Pippa Hale: Pet Project? Join Mud & More Pottery to paint your own bisque pottery cat or dog, cast from 18th and 19th century objects in The Bowes Museum’s collection. Please note: Each piece will be fired off-site in Mud and More’s kiln, and you’ll have three weeks to return and collect

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Activites for Adults

A large display case in an art gallery, showing historic embroideries and other items at different levels

A Woman of Taste and Fashion Spotlight Tour

Join Rachel Whitworth, Curator of Fashion & Textiles for an insightful introduction to the new Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion exhibition, opening 22 March. This engaging 30-minute talk will uncover the timeless elegance, craftsmanship and innovation of Joséphine Bowes’ textile collection and interest in fashion. Highlights include rare surviving pieces from Joséphine’s personal

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Daily

A child in a patterned outfit balancing on a decorated beanbag with arms outstretched, while another child sits on a nearby cushion. The gallery walls are painted green and red.

Pippa Hale: Pet Project

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A 19th-century portrait of a seated woman in an elegant white dress adorned with a pink ribbon, wearing a red headscarf. She rests one arm on a decorative table holding a vase of roses and an open book. The background features ornate furniture and wallpaper.

Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion

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A vintage wooden toy train set featuring a black and yellow locomotive with several colourful passenger cars displayed on a raised track.

Dressed for Departure: Fashion in the Age of Rail

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A light installation reading "YOU CREATE WHAT YOU WILL" by Nathan Coley, set against the historic Bowes Museum grounds.

Nathan Coley: You Create What You Will and Tate Modern on Fire

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Kinetic Arboretum in its new home in the Wildflower Meadow

Martin Smith: Kinetic Arboretum

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A series of colourful flags in which the main image of a roman soldier's head gets more detailed

Claire A Baker: In Progress and Process

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Your Visit

Discover wonders at every turn.

Image of a family looking at The Bowes Museum

Plan Your Visit

Create unforgettable moments this festive season! 

Soak up the festive atmosphere at The Bowes Museum and enjoy a perfect day out surrounded by masterpieces, nature and seasonal charm. Our ever-popular Winter Market makes a welcome return, offering unique gifts and local produce, while artist-led workshops inspire creativity and a winter trail invites discovery across the museum grounds. There’s something for every visitor to celebrate the magic of the season. 

LEARN MORE
Image of a child looking at a kids automata from Cabaret Mechanical Theatre whilst holding a puffin teddy

Book Tickets

Create unforgettable moments this festive season! 

Soak up the festive atmosphere at The Bowes Museum and enjoy a perfect day out surrounded by masterpieces, nature and seasonal charm. Our ever-popular Winter Market makes a welcome return, offering unique gifts and local produce, while artist-led workshops inspire creativity and a winter trail invites discovery across the museum grounds. There’s something for every visitor to celebrate the magic of the season. 

LEARN MORE
Image of an adult and child playing with outdoor toys in the Museum grounds

Park & Gardens

Create unforgettable moments this festive season! 

Soak up the festive atmosphere at The Bowes Museum and enjoy a perfect day out surrounded by masterpieces, nature and seasonal charm. Our ever-popular Winter Market makes a welcome return, offering unique gifts and local produce, while artist-led workshops inspire creativity and a winter trail invites discovery across the museum grounds. There’s something for every visitor to celebrate the magic of the season. 

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YOUR
VISIT

With wonders at every turn there’s something for everyone.

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CELEBRATE

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