DURHAM CASTLE AND CATHEDRAL
Views and Stays in the Prince Bishops' University Town
When
the sun sets with the late day light striking the golden colored stone
above the trees the views of Durham
Castle and Cathedral as they
stand above the Wear River which winds around their guarded promontory
is one of the most beautiful old city views in Northern England. The
County of Durham was once almost a separate country from England in the
times following William the Conqueror, ruled by its own Prince Bishops,
a land governance similar to German Palatinates. The castle and cathedral
at Durham which share a hilltop separated by an open square, the Bailey,
are Norman era structures. Most great cathedrals in England are middle
Gothic, built under the Edwards (see Knaresborough
Castle). Durham's
Cathedral was built originally to house the relics of St. Cuthbert (see Durham's Great Norman Cathedral).
Across
the Palace Green square from the Cathedral is Durham’s
great castle, which is now home to and owned by the University of Durham.
The Norman era defensive structures have given way over the years to
late improvements. The oldest part of the castle still mostly original
is the Norman Chapel, built in 1080. You cannot wander the castle on
your own as the halls and apartments of the castle are occupied by
the university.
A guided tour is available taking about 45 minutes. The Black Staircase
so named for it dark colored oak is one of Durham Castle's most recognized
features.
The
Great Hall
is filled with military displays, including items from the English
Civil War and duels with Napoleon, along with portraits of a long line
of Bishops who made Durham castle home. 
The
Norman looking tower that now stands as the visible facade is actually
a Victorian
era reconstruction
from the original building
plans. Guided tours are offered and during school vacations the university
rents out the student dorm rooms for
tourist lodging, some 3,000 of them (obviously not in the castle) and
some more lavish apartments in the castle itself as Bed & breakfast
accommodations. Prices start at £28.50 for the bed & breakfast
packages. On a side street off the Palace Green square between the castle
and cathedral is the prestigious Chorister School whose most famous recent
student was former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The
main old town of Durham for shopping and restaurants is across the
Wear River from the castle.
A very nice shopping mall just at the edge
of the old town right near the main rail station. Durham is along the
London-Edinburgh main rail line and makes for a nice stop on a London
to Scotland rail journey. There are a lot of students wandering around
when school is in session and the city is pretty quiet during school
vacations. Even when school is in session the old historic town watched
over by the bronze house mounted statue of William Vane Stewart, small
enough for easy strolling, seems to shut when the sun sinks, with only
the
pubs and restaurants
remaining
to
cast light
and voices
into
the
cobbled streets. To see the town from the river, you can walk along the
Wear bank in the cool shadows, row, row, row your own boat or take
a Prince Bishops Cruiser one hour river cruise.
Staying in Durham
The
Castle View Guesthouse is a four story Georgian house across the river
from the castle Crossgate Street,
just a few hundred feet from
the pedestrian bridge through the old castle gate. The view from the
Castle View Guesthouse is mostly from terrace as the house faces the
street. Driving into Durham is a little disconcerting as the thoroughfare
streets curve around the river. When I went, I didn’t have a map
with me and figured I’d better park and ask where I was going,
so I pulled over on a street after just passing through the old town
and was pointed away from the castle. It turns out that I had actually
parked directly across the street from this quite little hidden gem of
a B&B which sits on the hill just above another small early gothic
church of St Margaret of Antioch. Walks to town
and along the beautiful Wear River were steps away. Breakfast is served
in the ground floor Victorian style parlor. Prices range from £45
for a single to £75 for a double room. They don't really book online
so you have to contact
them directly.
For another period hotel in the center of town the Swallow Three Tuns Hotel dates from the 16th Century. For more elegant, but still period lodging with modern chain amenities try the Marriott Durham Royal County. If just a view of a castle isn’t enough and you’d like to stay in an actual castle when university is in session, the county around Durham has two castle hotels within a few miles of the city (see Lumley Castle Hotel and Redworth Hall Hotel).
For other things do around Durham,
the first passenger railway in England was the Stockton-Darlington
Line and rail history can be explored at
the old rail foundry at Shildon (see Locomotion
National Rail Museum Shildon) and coal era history can be
discovered at a former coal mining town turned living museum at Victorian/Edwardian
period, Beamish (see Beamish
Outdoor Living History Museum) or the great Bowes Museum
in nearby Barnard Castle. © Bargain
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See Also:
THE
SALTBURN SMUGGLERS
