A Guide to Durham by Anthea Gerrie
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Lumley Castle
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One can only assume it’s because this little jewel of a city and county are squashed between the majesty of Yorkshire, which trumpets its offerings much louder, and the glorious Northumberland coast. But this tiny town which has been dubbed "Best City to Visit in the UK" won’t be hiding its light under a bushel much longer.
Durham is bidding to be the UK's first City of Culture in 2013, a move it kicked off in November with a fabulous light festival. Drawn to see the spectacular 1000-year-old cathedral transformed with phenomenal projections and the river banks lit up, I found a compact collection of steep cobbled streets surrounded by a U-shaped sweep of river which endows the city’s handsome stone buildings with a beating green heart.
Cobblestones and Craftshops
Durham is, I discovered, an intimate place which inspires lingering, whether to stroll ancient greens or browse quirky shops selling hand-made jewellery, offbeat designer clothing, gifts and books. Many craft workshops and boutiques are tucked up narrow alleys called vennels, which are being revamped, or in hidden lanes beneath the main city streets.
One of the best is Fowler’s Yard, which lies on the riverbank beneath the old covered market. I could have whiled away hours in Leonard’s Coffee Shop, a modern cafe serving wonderful home-baked goods and lunches facing a row of ateliers and next to a small theatre. Artisan cheesemakers and other producers of local fare are represented in the market hall itself, and punctuating the visit with a properly-made cappuccino and yummy date scone made for a pretty perfect morning.
But the great glory of the city, at least according to the guidebooks, is the grander part - the World Heritage Site comprising the cathedral and adjacent castle of England’s only prince bishops. These wealthy clerics were permitted to own vast swathes of land and raise their own armies to protect it - but the last of them did bequeath the castle to the university, where amazingly for such a magnificent building with the best location in town, it now serves as a hall of residence.
Visitors can join group tours of the castle, but to get the most out of the cathedral and the city’s many hidden gems, it would be worth investing in half a day with Jan Williams, a Blue Badge guide who really brings the old stones and the stories they harbour to life.
She showed us not only the magnificent carved pillars and vaulted stone ceilings for which the cathedral is famous, but the striking works of modern and ancient art which dot the nave, and the secret place where we could enjoy the dancing of sunlight reflected from one of the few coloured stained glass windows - many older ones were removed during the Reformatiion.
From cathedral and castle we proceeded to a wonderful four-sided cloister where a community of Benedictine monks once lived, ate, studied, washed and worked. The College, as the cathedral close is known, a serene green space surrounded by handsome Georgian-style buildings, is home not to the university but the choir school where Tony Blair once learnt to sing.
The university, England’s third oldest after Oxford and Cambridge, is omnipresent; students are everywhere, scurrying in and out of the castle, strolling the riverbanks, filling the pubs and cafes - they bring a youth and vibrancy which prevents the city feeling staid, and as in all student towns, make for some interesting shopping.
Moving Into Modern Times
What Durham deserves is a hip boutique hotel in the city centre, and as its profile is raised, no doubt it will get one. For the moment the new Radisson or the centrally-located Marriott will have to do; the latter is comprised of a jumble of buildings, old and new, and you could as easily have a car park as a river view, so do specify a request for the latter. At least Durham does have Terry Laybourne, the restaurateur who has brought excellent local food to the north-east; his Bistro 21 is the best place to eat.
Durham the city sustains a weekend, and is on the east coast main line, but there are so many must-sees in the surrounding countryside, it would be worth driving up or hiring a car. Nostalgia buffs will enjoy the award-winning Beamish open air museum, where a tram takes visitors back in time to visit the Victorian village streets and collieries which were once a mainstay of north-east heritage. The Weardale Museum, in which an authentic miner’s cottage kitchen has been preserved, tells the tale of how most people lived.
It seems astonishing, visiting the handsome little town of Seaham, which has grand Georgian buildings, is getting a shiny new marina and is home to a top-notch spa hotel with Michelin-starred restaurant, that this too was once a colliery town. But all up and down the Durham coast what were once black beaches have been reclaimed, and in their place is a clean, wild and beautiful stretch of seascape.
When the Bishop of Durham finally moved out of the castle which had been home to the Prince Bishops for 800 years, he moved the seat of the bishopry to the old hunting lodge at Bishop Auckland. Auckland Castle now houses a priceless collection of Zurburan paintings depicting Jacobs and his 12 sons, which can be seen during the summer season. Another unmissable place for art lovers is Barnard Castle, where the Bowes Museum has one of the finest international art collections outside London, displayed in the unlikely setting of a French chateau rising on the skyline of this charming market town.
For sheer rural splendour, there are the Durham Dales and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is great walking country; Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve is the largest area of natural woodland in the north-east - a rare example of the wildwood which once covered most of England.
Prime times to visit Durham are during a festival - this city really knows how to throw a party. In summer a two-week brass bandfest, underpinned by the slightly anachronistic Miners’ Gala, which has survived decades after the closure of the pits, draws a huge crowd.
There is a June regatta known as “the Henley of the North”, which attracts top crews to the River Wear, but in spite of the weather I would always opt for the utterly enchanting biennial November light festival, which will next get an airing in 2011. Don’t wait for two years to get to Durham, though - the time to go is now, before the City of Culture battle shines the spotlight on it and potentially overwhelms its as yet little-known charms.