Destination: Durham
The view from Durham train station is one of the finest in northern England – a panoramic prospect of Durham Cathedral, its towers dominating the skyline from the top of a steep sandstone bluff within a narrow bend of the River Wear. This dramatic site has been the resting place of St Cuthbert since 995, his hallowed remains making Durham a place of pilgrimage for both the Saxons and the Normans, who began work on the present cathedral at the end of the eleventh century. Subsequently, the bishops of Durham were granted extensive powers to control the troublesome northern marches of the kingdom, ruling as semi-independent Prince Bishops, with their own army, mint and courts of law. The bishops were at the peak of their power in the fourteenth century, yet they clung to the vestiges of their authority until 1836, when they ceded them to the Crown. They abandoned Durham Castle for their palace in Bishop Auckland and transferred their old home to the fledgling Durham University, England's third oldest seat of learning after Oxford and Cambridge. And so matters rest today, cathedral and university monopolizing a city centre that remains an island of privilege in what is otherwise a moderately sized, working-class town at the heart of the old Durham coalfield. It's well worth a night, or even two, and while there are attractions other than the cathedral and castle it's more the overall atmosphere that captivates, enhanced by the ever-present golden stone, slender bridges and glint of the river.
The City
Surrounded on three sides by the River Wear, Durham's compact centre is readily approached by two road bridges that lead from the western, modern part of town across the river to the spur containing castle and cathedral. The commercial heart of this "old town" area is the triangular Market Place, flanked by the Guildhall and St Nicholas' Church, both now modernized beyond distinction. The Victorian Market Hall, buried in the vaults of the buildings that line the west side of the square (closed Sun), hosts a lively outdoor market every Saturday, as well as farmers' markets, held on the third Thursday of the month.
Discover more to see and do in Durham at www.roughguides.co.uk
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