Bowes Museum's Silver Swan automaton restored for 250th anniversary

A silver swan said to be one of the finest examples of an 18th-Century moving mechanical device in the world is being restored for its 250th anniversary.

The Silver Swan performed daily at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham, until the coronavirus pandemic put an end to that.

Conservation and restoration of the swan's mechanism is being undertaken by the Cumbria Clock Company so it can perform again.

Keith Scobie-Youngs, founder of the Cumbria Clock Company, said that working on an item like the Silver Swan was an extraordinary experience. The challenge was understanding how its inventor thought. "You're constantly learning," he said.

This year is the 250th anniversary of the Silver Swan's first exhibition at James Cox’s Museum of Mechanical Marvels in London in 1773.

The Bowes Museum hopes the Silver Swan will be operational again before Christmas.

Video produced by Alex Challies.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk

  • Tees