The meet takes place mainly on the bank holiday Monday but throughout the weekend events take place…read moreon the field down by the river. Live music & comedians Saturday & Sunday afternoons with food & beer tent available. Some seating is provided & porta loos also. On Monday a procession of floats leaves the glaxo area at the top of the town & then winds it's way down the main Rd through the town to the show field. A nice family day, weather permitting, it has been known to be cold windy & raining but it's the true British spirit that makes us attend.

Bowes Museum holds a lot of lovely childhood memories for me, but after visiting recently I can say…read moreI'm actually quite disappointed. We visited to see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition, he's my favorite designer and we're a big SL household - however, I was upset to find how poorly curated it was and how crowded the space was also. There was little fluidity in the way in which the clothing had been displayed, in one room pieces were even mixed in with the museums permanent collection - which proved confusing to those who weren't very aware of the brand. The museum architecture is beautiful, without a doubt, but each room just seems to have bits and pieces crammed into it. One room for china - pots and plates collected by the family, silver - more dishes and spoons, the portraits are beautiful to admire for the artistry but again, covering the walls of two rooms lacking in atmosphere. Even the entrance hall which was once open, airy and home to the famous silver swan has been downsized for a tacky gift shop and huge entrance ticket desk. They've ruined a once magical place. It's so out of date and dull, not to mention absolutely overpriced for what's actually there.

As soon as you turn into the driveway, this beautiful and impressive building dominates your view…read more The museum is crammed with paintings, porcelain, glass, silver and and various wonderful pieces of art. It's a great collection. Even more impressive is that the couple created the building with the sole purpose of showing these priceless pieces to the public. It's a good idea to watch the video (5 mins) in the viewing room before you browse the displays. The exhibition of gowns is lovely - particularly for people interested in the evolution of fashion. It's a nice visit. Although I didn't dine, the cafe looks really good too. The grounds are nice and the whole place has a lovely atmosphere.

My original review was done some years ago so a little out of date, as the other reviewer states it…read morehas been refurbished & modernised. It has a real nice cafe, selling delicious food with friendly helpful staff. It also was in a little bit of a financial difficulty but the local community got together and raised 30k in 30 days to save the building & staff. Some real nice events take place there so get yourself on the mailing list & get along to something. The Teesdale U3A meet there once a month also on a Thursday.