Bowes Visioning
Since 2023 we have been working on an ambitious vision for The Bowes Museum (TBM) in County Durham that honours the public-spirited investment of Josephine and John Bowes, the Museum’s founders, by paying forward a vision of what the Bowes Museum could become in 209, 200 years after its creation.
Following a series of co-production workshops with staff, stakeholders, and accessibility groups, we explored how the building could be made more accessible and inclusive, and how it might better connect with the surrounding public parkland. These ideas were informed by a detailed Statement of Significance that analyses the sensitive historic environment which includes Grade I, II* and II Listed structures and registered Parkland. One of the key challenges was how to break down the formal but intimidating entrance experience, and create a more open, welcoming arrival.
Our proposals include introducing a new level beneath the Terrace, linking the Museum to the under-used Parterre and to provide new income generating spaces like an enhanced cafe and flexible function spaces. Step free access across the Terrace and through the Museum’s entrance Hall leads to a new publicly accessible collections store at the rear of the site. The existing Museum is to be transformed to introduce a variety of different scaled galleries to provide different paced experiences for visitors. Upper floors will provide artists studios and members’ spaces to again diversify the Museum’s income streams and support creative industry professionals at different stages of their careers.
Across the Museum’s estate, we are exploring the potential siting of a sustainable energy centre that will power the Museum and the new extension. We are also exploring alternative uses for the Museum’s Grade II* Listed Gate Lodges, including self-catering accommodation.
The various moves bring all of the Museums’s internationally renowned off-site collections back to Bowes, fulfilling the Founders’ vision to make 100% of the collection accessible to the public, to establish The Bowes Museum as a nationally important centre of conservation and research excellence while forward planning to secure a sustainable future for the Museum.
Accessible Bowes
Preceding the Visioning work, we supported TBM between 2022 and 2024 in the development and delivery of a £1.1m scheme for external landscaping and car park improvements. Working with Burdus Access and Xanthe Quayle Landscape Architecture, we assisted TBM in successfully bidding for Arts Council MEND funding and in negotiations with statutory bodies. Working with Burdus Access, we helped established a new Bowes Museum Access Forum, who were instrumental in steering the design development of the new car park and new accessible parking bays at the rear of the Museum. These interventions are supported by a wayfinding strategy and site wide biodiversity improvements.
Image © The Bowes Museum