swanning around

Final days of the school holidays finds me over in Teesdale visiting family. We visited the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle, famous for its unique 230 year-old silver swan automaton. I was very small when I first saw it. It used to be down in the foyer and was set in motion when a few people had gathered. Now it is only shown once a day at 2.30.
I love its lifelike but spooky movements as it lowers its beak to scoop up a silver fish. *
The guy who made it also invented the rollerskate and the first rotisserie! The only other one like it is a peacock in The Hermitage, made for Catherine the Great. To see a video of it in action google servicing the silver swan 1 video dailymotion. Much clearer than the various YouTube efforts.

* The eagle-eyed of you will have spotted the error. Veggie mute swans don't eat fish....