Durham Castle, County Durham
N 54° 46.518 W 001° 34.567
30U E 591588 N 6070717
Durham Castle is the centre of University College in Durham. Since it is a working castle and home to some 100 students. Visits are by guided tour only.
Waymark Code: WM4F3A
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/15/2008
Views: 52
The castle is part of the Durham World Heritage Site and a Grade 1 Listed Building. The Castle was for many centuries the residence of the Bishops of Durham and as such played a important role in the history of the United Kingdom.
The Castle began in 1072 as a defensive mound commissioned by William the Conqueror and constructed by Waltheof, the Earl of Northumberland. It was built to defend the peninsula formed by the meander in the River Wear. Bishop Walcher built a hall on the site of the present Great Hall, together with the Undercroft and Norman Chapel. Castle has been a residence of the Bishops of Durham. They added to the buildings and altered them to suit their needs. Bishop Hugh de Puiset was responsible for the range of buildings now occupied by the State Rooms and Norman Gallery. Bishop Anthony Bek built the present Great Hall in 1284. This was extended in 1350 by Bishop Hatfield and then shortened in about 1500 by Bishop Fox, who was responsible for the medieval kitchens. During the Tudor period, Bishop Tunstal added the Chapel (1540) and galleries which bear his name.
The buildings suffered considerable damage during the English Civil War and Commonwealth (1640-1660) when it was confiscated by Cromwell and sold to the Lord Mayor of London. With the Restoration, the Castle reverted to its role as home of the Bishops of Durham.
When the University was founded, Bishop Van Mildert gave the Castle to the University. The Keep, by then a ruin, was rebuilt to provide student rooms. The University has been responsible for the Castle since that time. In the late 1920s it was discovered that the north-west corner of the Castle, and the Great Hall in particular, was in danger of sliding down the steep slope into the River Wear. Major work was undertaken to install new foundations and to tie these to a central concrete plug beneath the courtyard.
The Castle continues to require major restoration and in the last few years the roofs have been replaced with a grant from the Northern Rock Foundation, and English Heritage has contributed to repairs to the Gatehouse and Norman Arch on Tunstal’s Gallery.
Accessibility: Full access
Condition: Intact
Admission Charge?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
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