Sights in County Durham
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A
Durham Cathedral
Durham's most famous building – and the main reason for visiting unless someone you know is at university here – has earned superlative praise for so long that to add more would be redundant; how can you do better than the 19th-century novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote fawningly: 'I never saw so lovely and magnificent a scene, nor (being content with this) do I care to see better'. This may be overstating things a bit but no one can deny that as the definitive structure of the Anglo-Norman Romanesque style, Durham Cathedral is one of the world's greatest places of worship. Unesco certainly thought so when they declared it a World Heritage Site in 1986.
The cathe…
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B
Durham Castle
Built as a standard motte-and-bailey fort in 1072, Durham Castle was the prince bishops' home until 1837, when it became the first college of the new university. It remains a university hall, and you can stay here.
The castle has been much altered over the centuries, as each successive prince bishop sought to put his particular imprint on the place, but heavy restoration and reconstruction were necessary anyway as the castle is built of soft stone on soft ground. Highlights of the 45-minute tour include the groaning 17th-century Black Staircase, the 16th-century chapel and the beautifully preserved Norman chapel (1080).
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C
Durham Light Infantry Museum
The history of Durham's County Regiment and its part in various wars from 1758 to 1968 is brought to life at this museum 500m northwest of city centre; there's a small art gallery with changing exhibitions.
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D
Oriental Museum
Another university museum, located on campus 3 miles south of the city centre, with surprisingly good collections ranging from fine Egyptian artefacts to a monster of a Chinese bed. Take bus 5 or 5a.
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E
Durham Heritage Centre
Near the cathedral, in what was the St Mary-le-Bow Church, this museum has a pretty crowded collection of displays on Durham's history from the Middle Ages to mining. It's all suitably grim, especially the reconstructed Victorian prison cell.
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F
Museum of Archaeology
Occupying a converted riverside mill, this small university museum has collections ranging from prehistory to medieval times via the Romans and Anglo-Saxons.
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G
Crook Hall
This medieval hall with 1.6 hectares of charming small gardens is about 200m north of the city centre. From the tourist office, cross the main road bridge across the Wear then follow the river north.
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Locomotion
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H
Cloisters & Treasures
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Beamish Open-Air Museum
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