The Auckland project: experience the transformation of Bishop Auckland in Durham County

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The Auckland project aims to completely transform and revitalize the city of Bishop Auckland into the northeast of England. Bishop Auckland once was one of the most important places in northern England, since he was the home of the prince Bishops of Durham and the Auckland project has returned to the map to the Bishop Auckland. Keep reading to find out exactly why you need to visit the Auckland project.

Recently I spent a charming Sunday of August exploring the attractions of the Auckland project in Bishop Auckland, a city on the outskirts of Durham in the Northeast of England. While it is just a short trip, I have to admit that I have not spent much time in Bishop Auckland, except trips to retail parks on the outskirts, so I was on the moon to visit the Auckland project to experience the transformation of the city for me.

They greatly provided me with a courtesy access pass of the Auckland project to visit with my wife and little Evelyn, but all the opinions expressed in this guide are mine.

Brief history of Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland is a small town almost halfway between the city of Durham and Barnard Castle. Its history goes back to the Roman era with a fort in the nearby Binchester (called winevia) that protected the crossroads of Dere’s street from the river clothing. Since 1183, the prince bishops of Durham had their home in the country here, which later became Auckland Castle. Durham was strategically and politically very important (to protect the northern border of England and quell any rebellion) and, therefore, while Prince Bishop remained loyal to the king of England, he had the right to raise an army, to coin his own currencies and taxes on the lien. It was essentially his own state to argue that Prince Bishop was the original northern king. Durham’s bishop still today has his office at Auckland Castle.

Bishop Auckland was also located on the southern border of the large northern coal field. This is the mining territory of main coal that unfortunately means that the entire area decreased significantly with the closure of the mines. While some villages and villages are still suffering after being built in the back of the industrial revolution, Bishop Auckland stands out for a good reason. This is where the Auckland project enters.

The Auckland project

The Auckland project It is a beneficial organization with the mission of regenerating Bishop Auckland and transforming it into a patrimonial tourist destination. From Auckland Castle to the Spanish gallery to the historic railroad from Bishop Auckland to Eastgate, the Auckland project has bought and revitalized attractions throughout the local area. What work are also doing; This small area in the northeast of England is a place that is more than in the top.

Now that we have had a small introduction, we will immerse ourselves in what can expect from a visit to the Auckland project along with many photos.

A guide to visit the Auckland project

Auckland tower

Upon arriving at Bishop Auckland, the first place he will want to go is the Auckland tower. The Auckland tower is 29 meters high on the market and is the perfect introduction for both the Auckland project and for the city itself. You can buy your tickets here and take a guide before going to the visualization platform to obtain excellent views in Auckland Park, the city and the field that surrounds. For someone with fear of heights, he took some attempts to reach the end of the small platforms that seem to float in the air. On the first floor, take a few moments to read the informative boards that prepare the stage for the rest of their day.

You can see in the photos that the tower is clearly designed to highlight. While it is extremely modern, inspiration is anything but; A siege engine that faces the fortifications of the castle. It is definitely a love or hate architecture and I am in the Love It camp.

Auckland Castle

After climbing the tower, you will want to walk through the gateway to the attraction of stars in Bishop Auckland, Auckland Castle. After having reopened recently after an extension restoration, you can now discover about 1,000 years of history here. From one of the largest private chapels in Europe, he will walk from one room to another experiencing the life of Durham’s bishops. My favorite rooms were the great throne room and the dining room that contains 12 of Jacob’s original paintings and his twelve children of Francisco de Zurbaran (dating from 1641). In the throne room, you can dress and immediately transform into a full bishop prince with a robe and a hat. I got involved in a conversation of information with one of the useful guides before slowly trying to remove my bishop’s hat to see a little more normal; I have no idea how poor lady could take me seriously.

Walled Garden / Deer Park

It goes back to the seventeenth century, the walled garden in front of Auckland Castle has been rebuilt and now fresh vegetables are grown here for their restaurants and coffee shops. It is a charming garden to walk, although quite steep in some places.

It is more than mentioning that you could walk beyond the Auckland castle to the Park of the Deer (Open Open Dawn open at dusk) with 150 acres of parks. I have not seen any deer, but the deer house was built as a place to take refuge and feed the deer for hundreds of years.

Mining Art Gallery

As I mentioned earlier, coal mining was all for the northeast people of England for many years. The Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland brings together collections of works of art that represent life in coal mines. There are more than 420 jobs in the gallery, including many of Norman Cornish (the equivalent of LS Lowry’s northeast). The current exhibition above in the gallery is ‘unity is strength: Durham’s miner’s gala’ and can be seen until December 30, 2022. I really enjoyed the brilliant works of art, sometimes realistic, which capture the Durham miner’s gala from the first meeting onwards.

Spanish gallery

As I mentioned earlier, Auckland Castle has been the home of the famous Jacob paintings and their twelve children for hundreds of years, but that is not the only Spanish painting in the small city. The first gallery of the United Kingdom dedicated to the Spanish Golden Age of Art is here in Bishop Auckland. I will admit that I am not an art one, but you could not be impressed with the quality of the exhibition works here. I discovered that many of the paintings were quite dark in the sense that they represented death, a lot of death.

Until December 4, 2022, you could see two very famous works of art; The Christ of Salvador Dali of San Juan de la Cruz (I have even heard of it!) And the Christ of El Greco on the Cross.

The castle

According to the Spanish theme, the castle, a new tapas bar, takes the taste of Spain to Bishop Auckland. There is nothing like this in the local area, so I can imagine that the castle will remain popular. The food is excellent, and I want to say that it impressed me a lot. We went with the Serrano ham croquettes (crispy fried potato and healed ham with ailoli sausage), crispy chicken wings with romesca, chorizo to the cider (chorizo cooked over low heat in cider with a mass of mass of bread breaking) and a selection of Spanish cured meats. The complete menu is here and I have no doubt that there will be many small dishes that you like.

More to see

Kynren – The most epic history in the history of England set out in the open air of Durham’s field. A show that you can’t miss!
Weardale Railroad -A 18 mile heritage railway line between Bishop Auckland and Eastgate with 6 miles reopened using passenger trains of the 1960s. He can currently travel between Stanhope and Wolsingham in Durham Dales.

Prices

Two -day access pass to all: £ 30 adults, £ 15 children, £ 45 1 adult and up to 4 children, £ 75 2 adults and up to 4 children

Spanish gallery – £ 14 adult, £ 7 child (under 4 years)

Auckland Castillo – £ 14 adult, £ 7 child (under 4 years)

Mining Art Gallery – £ 7 adult, £ 3 children (under 4 years free)

Opening hours

Between now and March 31, 2023, all attractions are open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm (apart from November 3 to December 18, when it closes at 3 pm). For updated opening schedules, I would recommend verifying the website here.

The El Castillo Tapas restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday; From 11 am to 5 pm (Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the latest orders at 4pm and 11 am at 10 pm (Friday and Saturday) with the last orders at 9 pm I recommend booking a table just to be sure!

Get

Bishop Auckland is a short distance from the A1; He would end up going out in Junction 60 before heading west in the A689. It is very easy to arrive if you drive. For parking, the best paid parking is probably North Bondgate (DL14 7PG), which is just a short walk. You can park for free in Durham Road if you have a good time and is a launch of Stones of the Auckland project.

From Durham, whether it is local or that it is a train trip on the main line of the East Coast, you can get bus number 6 to Bishop Auckland or there are local Darlington trains that can also catch.