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After more than 1500 hours of painstaking work carried out by specialist horologists, The
Bowes Museum's iconic 250 year old life size Silver Swan, the only one in the world, is set
to wow audiences once again as she comes back to life in her true form for the first time in
four years.

Visitors to the Barnard Castle Museum can again be mesmerized on a daily basis by the
Silver Swan's majestic movements as she swims, prims and feeds herself on a flowing glass
stream accompanied by music from 2pm on Tuesday, 19 March.

The intricate restoration and conservation project was carried out by experts from the
Cumbria Clock Company, assisted by clocks interns from West Dean College in Sussex and
Birmingham School of Jewellery alongside the Museum's in-house conservation
team. Students from the conservation course at Lincoln University also observed and were
able to add to their learning from the restoration process.

The Silver Swan is a solid silver replica of a female swan and one of the finest examples of
18th century automata in the world. An automaton is a clockwork designed to replicate real
life. It was made in the workshop of James Cox in London and was first shown in his
museum in 1773. It has three clockwork mechanisms and contains more than 2,000 moving
parts, with several thousand in its whole.

Visitors have been able to observe much of the restoration and conservation work being
carried out in the Silver Swan gallery.

Keith Scobie-Youngs, the Director of the Cumbria Clock Company said:
"It's been a real privilege to work on such a historic object as the Silver Swan that means
such a great deal to so many people. It's been incredible to get an insight into the workings
of the clock makers of the past and see how so many of the skills they possessed are still
relevant today and to have been able to pass on that knowledge to a new generation of
clockmakers and horologists has been incredibly humbling."

Victoria Franka was appointed as the Silver Swan artist in residence while the conservation
work was taking place. The multidisciplinary mixed media artist, led 10 workshops
throughout her residency where she shared her skills and expertise with visitors. The work
she created, which includes two macrame wall hangings, a 3D printed wallhanging and a
zoetrope (spinning animation) can also been seen in the Silver Swan gallery.

The project was funded by a grant of £146,324.00 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund,
money from The Friends of The Bowes Museum, The Leche Trust, The Aurelius Charitable
Trust, The Circles of Art and the generosity of people who gave £20,375.00 to a
Crowdfunding Campaign as well as private donors.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the Silver Swan performing once a day at 2pm from Tuesday,
19th of March 2024 at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. The Museum is open from
10am to 5pm daily.