|
| |
 |
| |
Information
Grey
towers of Dvrham
Yet will I love thy mixed and massive piles
Half chvrch of God half castle 'gainst the Scot
And long to roam these venerable aisles
With records stored of deeds long since forgot
Sir Walter Scott, 1816.
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
The Cathedral City of Durham
 Grey
towers of Dvrham
Yet will I love thy mixed and massive piles
Half chvrch of God half castle 'gainst the Scot
And long to roam these venerable aisles
With records stored of deeds long since forgot
Sir Walter Scott, 1816.
Durham City is situated on the steep banks
of the River Wear, the Skyline dominated by the three towers of the Cathedral,
and the Castle, set majestically on the Peninsula. This is always the first and
awe inspiring view that any visitor to the city is presented with.
|
Durham Cathedral is part of
The World Heritage
The World Heritage Symbol  symbolises the
independence of cultural and natural properties. The central square is a form
created by man and the circle represents nature, the two being intimately
linked.
|
|
The City
 The City itself is small and compact with maze
of narrow cobbled streets that hide a multitude of quaint and unusual little
shops selling everything from antiques to postage stamps. There is a modern
shopping centre that does seem out of place in this historic city and the
attempt to blend it with the ambient architecture has failed miserably!
|
Durham
Cathedral and Castle
 Durham
Cathedral and Castle
stand together on a lofty plateau surrounded on
three sides by the River Wear. Together they represent the Norman Domination of
England and symbolise the spiritual and temporal powers of the Prince Bishops,
who for centuries were amongst the most powerful men of northern England. It is,
however, above all the relationship between the two, towering over the adjacent
streets of the town, which inspires awe. (Justification for inclusion in World
Heritage
List, 1986)
|
|
The views
The Views over the river Wear are truly
picturesque and there is nothing better than a walk along the riverside under
the shade of ancient trees to stimulate the feeling of tranquillity that is
evident throughout the city. There is a wonderful walkway that leads past the
old boathouses and on past the weir and Old Mill (Which must hold some records
for being photographed). At the end of the walk you can now enter the city via
one of the ancient toll gates and walk back through cobbled streets and pretty
old houses and shops. The streets will lead back to the market place where one
absolutely MUST buy a Thorntons ice cream and sit under the shade of the horse
with no tongue (It has really)!
|
DURHAM -- Land of the Prince Bishops
A special attraction is Elvet Bridge and this was once a road bridge (along
with Framwellgate Bridge, but is now mainly
pedestrianised, the bridge used to have more houses on than now, but some of the
buildings along the side are still built on the bridges structure. Most of the
arches are now used for storage, but at one point they were used as prison
cells. The next bridge up is Kingsgate Bridge, a high-level footbridge built by
the University of Durham to allow easy access to the Science Site from the
Peninsula colleges, and the peninsula departments from the Hill colleges. It has
won two awards for design!!!!!?! The bridge was built in two halves one either
side of the river, and swung out to meet in the middle. To the north of the town
is the station, with its large Victorian viaduct on the London side of the line.
Round the back of Old Elvet is the old Durham Jail and Courthouse (The jail has
the only high-security non-mental Woman's Wing in the Country)
|
|
Towering
Towering
over the town in truly awesome fashion, Durham Cathedral and Castle
symbolise together the spiritual and secular powers of the Bishops Palatine in a
manner which, once seen, will never be forgotten."
Durham Cathedral was built in the late 11th and early 12th centuries to house
the relics of St Cuthbert (evangelizer of Northumbria) and the Venerable Bede.
It
attests to the importance of the early Benedictine monastic community and is the
largest and finest example of Norman architecture in England. The innovative
audacity of its vaulting foreshadowed Gothic architecture. Behind the cathedral
stands the castle, an ancient Norman fortress which was the residence of the
prince-bishops of Durham.
|
|
|
 |
|
