Durham Cathedral and Castle

Saturday morning Scott and I paused to listen to a couple of the brass bands passing by our hotel on their way to the union gathering which just happened to be at the end of our street. Then we headed in the opposite direction to explore Durham Castle and Cathedral, a world heritage site.

It will help to relate a little of the history of this area, and I hope no one falls asleep whilst reading it! This is an area of Britain that was the "borderland" between what is now England and Scotland. This is important to note because Durham Castle and Cathedral sit side by side at the top of a hill, surrounded by the River Wear. Durham Cathedral was built not only to honour God, but to warn the Saxons and Scots. It served as a symbol of the power of the Prince Bishops who were charged by the King to defend the area from invasions from the north (meaning the Scots, of course.).

Durham Castle is a Norman Castle and is believed to have been built around 1072. The castle was commissioned by William the Conqueror. The king never actually lived here, and the castle was eventually handed over to the Bishop of Durham. It remained in the hands of successive bishops for nearly 750 years. Like many castles, it has seen lots of renovations, including the addition of a palace. The last bishop to be responsible for the castle decided it was to become a centre for learning and so, since 1837, has been the home of the University College of Durham University. 

This is the front gate, looking out of the castle. That tower in the background is Durham Cathedral.

This castle was occupied by the Bishops of Durham, a quite prestigious title. Many of them made renovations and additions to improve the grandeur of the castle. Note the tops of these columns. They are more similar to eastern European architecture than anything in England. 

One of our guides describing some of the history of the castle. You can see the castle  keep up on the hill. That is not an area that visitors can see as it is dormitories for some of the university students. Our guide assured us we didn't want to go there :)

No photos allowed inside the castle, so this picture of a postcard will have to do. This one is here for Jennie, and other fans of Harry Potter. This is the Great Hall of the castle, built in 1284. It is also the place where the great hall scenes in the Harry Potter films were made, although this view is, unfortunately, looking away from where Professor Snape and his peers sat while Dumbledore addressed the gathering of students. No sign of a "sorting hat" either!

This is one of the most interesting rooms in the castle. This is the old  Norman  Chapel, located under the main floors. It is tiny and damp but the sculptures along the tops of the columns are some of the most interesting in existence today from that time period.

We left the castle behind, paid a quick visit to a couple of exhibits in the museum, and found our way to the cathedral. OK, last night I was counting up exactly how many old churches and cathedrals we have visited in the past 4 months. Including the church we attend on Sundays, I think this is number 8 for me. They have all been different, though, and Durham Cathedral was, possibly, my second favourite after St. Giles in Edinburgh. The cathedral was begun in 1093 and it took about 40 years to complete. The architect is unknown, but the architectural details hint at genius. It is worth noting that the artefacts of St. Cuthbert are entombed here as well. We were not permitted to take photos inside, but Scott did take some beautiful photos of the outside of this massive structure, and a few photos of postcards as well. 

Looking across Castle Green at the cathedral. 

This is inside the cathedral. No photos allowed here.

Some interesting notes about the columns! First, believe it or not, they are as big around as they are tall! And, the columns are actually spaced more closely together as you go forward. This was done so your eye was drawn up and forward upon entering.

We entered the cathedral and were disappointed to find that they were not doing guided tours. As luck would have it though, a very friendly, knowledgeable docent asked us if she could show us a few things about the cathedral. We were happy to follow her around and learn about the wonderful details of this cathedral. She encouraged us to return later for the special service for the miner's, which we did do, and thoroughly enjoyed. 

After spending a Saturday immersed in history, it was time for some fresh air and exercise. On our way home on Sunday we visited Hadrian's Wall. What an incredible story THAT is, and definitely a subject for a future blog.