Book Launch – Streatlam Castle and the Bowes-Lyons

Ticket price

Free entry 4pm to 8pm

When

Lord of the Manor pens tales of 600 years of Teesdale history.

Barnard Castle author Chris Foote-Wood, Lord of the Manor of nearby Streatlam, highlights the good and the bad of the Bowes family who merged with Scottish aristocrats the Lyons, Earls of Strathmore, to produce among others the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, grandmother of our present monarch Charles III, who holidayed at Streatlam.

Distant relatives of William the Conqueror, the Bowes held Streatlam Castle (now sadly demolished) for six centuries. There were heroes, knighted in battle, villains like “Stoney” Bowes who ended up in debtor’s prison, and strong-minded, passionate women. There were arranged marriages, live-in mistresses, love matches and divorces. There was John Bowes, born illegitimate and without a title, who used his vast wealth to create the world-renowned Bowes Museum with his French wife, Joséphine.

This is local history presented in an entertaining way by Chris, whose own family include his father, playwright and Coronation Street scriptwriter Stanley Wood and his sister, the multi-talented comedienne Victoria Wood.

Free entry – no need to book.

Refreshments available and books available to purchase.