Bowood House & Gardens

People come again and again to rediscover the enchantment of Bowood - a family stately home embracing a whole world of fascination in the splendour of a bygone age. Fine rooms filled with superb furniture, porcelain and family heirlooms collected over the centuries. The Adam Orangery, originally designed as a conservatory for orange and lemon trees, is now a magnificent gallery for important 18th and 19th century works as well as Old Masters.

The Chapel, designed by Sir Charles Cockerell, is still used for family services; the great Adam Library holds over 5,000 leather-bound volumes; and the Sculpture Gallery, furnished with superb Flemish tapestries, is remarkable for its collection of classical and 19th century marbles. You will see the Bowood laboratory where Dr Joseph Priestley, tutor to the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne's son, discovered oxygen in 1774.

The Exhibition Rooms contain fascinating displays of furniture, pictures, ivory, costumes, silver, miniatures and other family heirlooms from Georgian times to the Indian Raj. Among the most exciting exhibits are Napoleon's death mask, Byron's Albanian costume, the glittering Kieth jewels and an exceptional collection of English watercolours, including works by Bonnington and Turner.

Glorious Parkland to Explore

The Rhododendron Walks

For the Children