Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland is one of the best-preserved and most important medieval bishops’ palaces in Europe. For more than 900 years it served as a private residence and hunting ground for the Prince Bishops of Durham, before being opened to the public by North East charity, The Auckland Castle Trust, in 2012.
Now, with a £70m investment, the Trust is transforming Auckland Castle into a heritage, arts and faith destination of international significance, helping to reinvigorate Bishop Auckland and stimulate economic regeneration.
The ambitious project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), includes restoration of the historic Castle, as well as the creation of a new, 10 gallery Faith Museum and re-imagined 17th Century Walled Garden, in the castle grounds.
In the nearby Market Place there will be a new Welcome Building and Mining Art Gallery, as well as a Spanish Gallery and Research Centre, inspired by the iconic paintings of Jacob and his twelve sons by Franciso de Zurbarán, which have hung in Auckland Castle for more than 260 years.
The first attraction to open will be the Mining Art Gallery, designed to explore the history of mining in County Durham and the impact it had on the local community . It will provide a permanent home for the Gemini Collection of Mining Art, including more than 300 works by prominent local artists such as Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish and is due to launch in 2017.
Don’t miss a visit to Auckland Park, created over 800 years ago by the Prince Bishops primarily as an estate for hunting. It was one of the reasons why the Bishops chose to live at Auckland Castle rather than in Durham City.
