A STUNNING memorial in the grounds of one of the late Queen Mother's favourite North-East museums was officially dedicated to her at the weekend.

The Duke of Gloucester performed the dedication of the memorial sundial at Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, on Saturday.

For more than 40 years, the Queen Mother was patron of the Friends of Bowes Museum, which was founded by one of her ancestors.

The Duke said: "This pleasant sundial will be an eternal memorial to a very great lady.

"I hope those who see it will be reminded of her role as patron of the Friends and will be conscious that Friends of the Museum have a very important role to play."

Friends' chairman Fiona Turnbull said: "The Queen Mother was an active patron for 40 years and during that time she visited on several occasions and had strong connections to Bowes and Teesdale."

The sundial is based on an armillary sphere design - representing the stars and planets - by astronomer Ptol-emy and was calibrated for its site in the museum grounds.

It stands on a plinth of stone from nearby Dunhouse Quarry, which supplied stone to build the museum in the late 1800s.

The Duke was at the museum with 100 delegates from the British Association of Friends of Museums, of which he is patron, for its annual conference.