ONE of the finest private collections of English porcelain opens to the public at a North-East museum this month.

The Lady Ludlow Collection, which is believed to be worth £1.5m, has been given to the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, as a permanent addition to its collection of fine and decorative art.

It comprises more than 500 pieces of porcelain from all the major English factories that flourished in the 18th Century.

Adrian Jenkins, Bowes Museum director, said: "The Bowes Museum is proud to be the recipient of this magnificent gift of English porcelain.

"It adds to our already outstanding collection of English porcelain, formed by John and Josephine Bowes in the 19th Century, and gives us comprehensive coverage at the highest level of all the great European porcelain factories."

The porcelain was given to the museum by the National Art Collections Fund (Art Fund) which acquired it in 1953 from Lady Ludlow's estate, Luton Hoo, in Bedfordshire. It was on public view at Luton Hoo, until the late 1990s when financial pressure led to the sale of the house, and the Art Fund looked for a permanent home for it.

David Verey, chairman of the National Art Collections Fund, said: "We are absolutely delighted to present the Lady Ludlow collection to the Bowes Museum.

"It was essential to the Art Fund that this extraordinary collection was kept together and we are extremely pleased that it has found such an appropriate final home."

The collection was formed between the two world wars by Lady Ludlow, the daughter of a Polish exile who married a wealthy diamond dealer and became a prominent figure in London society.

The collection will be housed in newly-refurbished galleries funded by the Headley Trust, within the French-style chateau.

The porcelain will be on view from October 28.

Published: 19/10/2004