A MUSEUM has announced the winner of a competition to redesign its 22-acre grounds.

Arabella Lennox-Boyd was among three internationally renowned designers invited to submit plans for the £3m project to transform the garden and grounds at The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle.

The brief was to create a garden to complement the Grade One listed building, cater for visitors of all ages, and reflect the botanical importance of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which provides a habitat for many rare wild flowers.

Ms Lennox-Boyd’s winning masterplan included a parterre with shallow canals, a pergola, rose-covered pavilions and stepped banks topped by pleached limes to frame the French-style Museum.

The design also has plans for a contemporary café, a horticultural therapy centre and a play area with wide-scale trees, shrubs and herbaceous planting to provide horticultural interest throughout the year.

Peter Millican, a museum Trustee and head of the judging panel, said: “I am extremely excited about the creation of a wonderful new garden.

“The Arabella Lennox-Boyd design is not only stunning but offers something for everyone and will continue to develop over the years, as all good gardens should.

“Her design complements both the museum and the vision of its founders John and Joséphine Bowes.”