"My Home City" a Durham Travel Page by Jigmonkeyuk

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Durham Cathedral

My Favourite Picture Of Durham City

This is a very well known picture of Durham City's best known landmark. Thanks to the Cathedral, Durham City's peninsular has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Out of sight to the left, also on the peninsular is Durham Castle.

The first Norman kings realised that because it was so remote from their power based in the South the North-East of England was particularly vulnerable both to rebellion by the local Saxon population and to invasion by the armies of Scotland. Shortly after the Norman Conquest therefore William the Conqueror appointed Bishop Walcher of Durham (1071-1081) Earl-Bishop of Northumbria. This appointment concentrated both secular and spiritual power over the whole of the North-East of England in the hands of one person.

Following Walcher's murder by an angry mob in Gateshead in 1081 the king decided to continue with this policy but in a more limited way. So he elevated Bishop Carileph (1081-1096) - and subsequent bishops - to the rank of Prince Bishop giving them vice-regal power over an area that became known as the Palatinate of Durham. The Palatinate covered much of the modern counties of Cleveland Durham and Tyne & Wear together with parts of the county of Northumberland. The secular power the Prince Bishops is well symbolised by the illuminated initial from the bible of Bishop Pudsey (1153-1195) pictured above.

A century later - boasting of the power of his master - the steward of Bishop Bek (1284-1310) claimed:

"There are two kings in England namely the Lord King of England wearing a crown in sign of his regality and the Lord Bishop of Durham wearing a mitre in place of a crown in sign of his regality in the diocese of Durham."
This was no idle boast however. The Prince Bishops had the similar royal powers within the Palatinate to those that the King exercised in other parts of his Kingdom. Not only did they have their own Parliament - Durham sent no representatives to London - but also they could raise their own armies levy their own taxes mint their own coins and set up their own court system. At the high point of their powers the Prince Bishops could even enter into negotiations directly with the Kings of Scotland create their own barons and regulate commerce by granting charters for markets and fairs.

Bishop Van Mildert (1826-36) - the last of the Prince-Bishops - was involved in founding the University of Durham in 1832. Durham Castle which had always been the principal stronghold and palace of the Prince-Bishops was handed over in 1837 to provide a home for this fledgling institution. Since then the main seat of the Bishops of Durham has been at Auckland Castle just a few miles south of Durham.

It was only with the death of Bishop Van Mildert in 1836 that the secular powers of the Bishops of Durham were finally surrendered to the King. Interestingly though the Palatinate court system survived for almost another century and a half. Not until 1971 was the system finally merged into the English court structure - exactly 900 years after William the Conqueror appointed Bishop Walcher Earl-Bishop of Northumbria!

Some of the privileges of the Prince Bishops'included having their own chancellor, council and seal, minting their own coins and the right to raise their own army. Durham Castle was the main home of the Prince Bishops and they gradually transformed it from a military fortress into a lavish and comfortable residence.

The castle was handed over in the 1830s to the newly-established Durham University and so the Bishops made the castle at Bishop Auckland their sole residence.
Durham City's compact centre, especially the Palace Green area which includes the cathedral and castle, is preserved very much along the original lines; indeed, the whole Durham Peninsula, encircled and protected by the River Wear, has remained unspoilt.

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The High Altar

My Favorite View Inside The Cathedral

The most breathtaking sight within the Cathedral. Behind the High Altar is the largest stained glass window in the Cathedral, The Rose Window.

The Neville Screen was a gift from the Neville family in celebration of the victory against the Scots at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. It was made of Normandy limestone and carved in the workshop of the London architect, Henry Yevele. The completed work was packed in boxes, sent by sea to Newcastle and then brought to Durham in wagons. It was consecrated in 1380. The niches of the Screen, now empty, were filled with 107 statues of saints. The Screen comprises a reredos behind the altar together with two integrated sedilia - one on each side. The engineering skill involved in creating the Screen itself and the many delicate small carvings exercise the imagination. Legend has it that, during the Reformation, the statues were not destroyed but removed intact and hidden. Where they were hidden, however, remains a mystery to this day. Some claim that that they still lie undisturbed under the Monks' Dormitory.

The medieval High Altar in front of the Neville Screen was destroyed at the Reformation and a wooden table, standing in the choir, was substituted. Dean Hunt (1620-1638) replaced this with a red marble altar at the east end, and this is now usually enclosed by a larger wooden altar. The altar rails were made in the 1930s by the Cathedral workmen.

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Durham Castle Keep

Durham Castle

"Few buildings in England can boast a longer history of continuous occupation than Durham Castle. Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, the Castle has been rebuilt, extended and adapted to changing circumstances and uses over a period of 900 years." (Department of the Environment, World Heritage List Nomination.)

King William the Conqueror ordered its construction in 1072, shortly after the Norman Conquest. Even today, the Castle still visually betrays its origins - a dramatic example of a typical Norman motte and bailey fortification. The first purpose of the Castle was, undoubtedly, to help pacify the rebellious Saxon population of the North of England. During the early medieval period, however, it developed into a strategic bulwark in the defence of the border with Scotland.

A large octagonal keep was erected high on the terraced mound on the east side of the Courtyard by Bishop Hatfield (1345-81).

As the threat from the Scots receded, the Castle evolved into an impressive yet comfortable palace for Durham's all-powerful Prince Bishops. Then, in 1837, it was handed over for the use of the newly-founded University of Durham. At first, the Castle contained the entire University. Soon, though, the rapidly-expanding University needed more space. So finally, Durham Castle became University College, Durham - a residential community for generations of both dons and students.