THERE was something old and something new to celebrate at a museum at the weekend.

On the day the Bowes Museum, at Barnard Castle, marked its illustrious history with a 125th anniversary fun day it also embraced the new digital age.

On Saturday the museum became the first outside of London to have its own Smartify App which enables visitors to use a tablet or smartphone to learn about the exhibits as they tour the galleries.

Even the museum’s founders John and Josephine Bowes got to grips with the app, having time-travelled to the event courtesy of actors David Napthine and Shelley O’Brien.

Once a visitor has downloaded the free app to their device they can hold it up to an exhibit and it will display facts and tell the piece’s story which can be recorded to read in more detail at a later date.

Alison Nicholson, the museum’s digital marketing and fundraising officer, said: “It is a huge project and a really exciting development.

“It is going to give more information for visitors about the objects in the collection and allow them to save their favourites to their phone to look at after the visit.

“So many of us feel time-poor so we hope it will be good for people who want to learn more after their visit, we hope it will be engaging for all sorts of people such as school children and it is about moving the museum forward.”

Around a third of the museum’s collection has been added to the app so far.

The grand building was purpose built by wealthy landowner and the town’s Liberal M P for 15 years John Bowes and his French wife Josephine.

The couple shared a passion for art and amassed a vast collection, originally for their French chateau with the aim of creating a new museum in Paris.

They later moved to John’s Teesdale home where they felt it was safer and decided to share their treasures with the wider world by using local stone to build a French chateau-style museum.

Both had died by the time it opened to the public in 1892 but it continued to prosper and today houses important collections of European fine and decorative arts, ceramics, furniture, an award winning fashion and textiles gallery and has hosted major exhibitions.

Sir Mark Wrightson, chairman of museum’s board of trustees, told guests at the anniversary event that Joseph Pease gave a message of hope when he officiated on the opening day whereas his message was one of achievement too.

He said: “In this market town of 5,500 we have a museum we can really be proud of.

“It not only has a stature nationally but a stature of its collections internationally, something people from all over the world come to see and we are entirely proud of.”

Mr Wrightson paid tribute to the Bowes, particularly Josephine who left a £135,000 trust fund in her will to fulfil the couple’s dream of completing the museum.

He added: “For the last 125 years inhabitants of Barnard Castle and wider villages have followed her request.

“As chairman of the museum, it gives me much pleasure to wish the museum a very happy birthday and many more years to come.”

The anniversary event included talks and tours, live music and children’s activities.