Bowes Museum's Silver Swan to be restored after £150,000 grant

Conservation work on the Silver Swan will take place between now and December

An 18th Century mechanical swan is to be "brought back to life" after a County Durham museum was awarded almost £150,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Silver Swan, housed at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, has 2,000 moving parts.

Until 2020, its three clockwork mechanisms saw it operate each day but it now requires restoration.

The work is set to be completed by the end of the year.

The metal and glass structure contains 30lb (13kg) of silver and, when operating, twists its head, preens and catches a golden fish.

The restoration of the "most urgent elements" within the swan - said by museum chiefs to be one of the 18th Century's finest mechanical devices - is estimated to cost £200,000 and a public appeal is being launched to raise a further £50,000.

'Delicate old machine'

Vicky Sturrs, director of programmes and collections, said: "It's only fitting that as an automaton, we should ensure that it continues to operate otherwise we risk it becoming just another object - albeit a very beautiful one.

"We also have to be mindful that as a delicate, fragile and old machine, we must ensure that the work is carried out sympathetically and sustainably to allow future generations to enjoy it operating for another 250 years."

Specialists from a Cumbrian firm which has worked on Big Ben and Hampton Court Palace's astronomical clock are teaming up with the museum's own conservation team to dismantle the swan before repairing and lubricating its operating mechanisms.

Much of the work will take place inside the museum with visitors able to watch.

A previous conservation project in 2008 saw hundreds of parts cleaned and checked.