Durham Castle: A Visitor's Guide

Facing the cathedral across Palace Green, Durham Castle completes the peninsula's UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a working university college as well as a monument, so a visit works a little differently from most castles, and it rewards a bit of planning.

From the Prince Bishops to the university

The castle was begun in 1072 on the orders of William the Conqueror, a Norman motte-and-bailey stronghold raised to hold the north of England. For centuries it was the residence of the Prince Bishops of Durham, who ruled the region with near-royal powers. When those powers ended in the 1830s the bishops moved out, and in 1837 the castle became home to University College, the founding college of Durham University. Students live there to this day.

What you'll see

The oldest surviving part is the Norman Chapel of about 1078, one of the oldest rooms in the city, with boldly carved Romanesque capitals. The Great Hall, largely the work of Bishop Antony Bek in the early fourteenth century, is one of the great medieval halls of northern England and still serves as the college dining hall. Look too for the elaborate seventeenth-century Black Staircase, built for Bishop John Cosin, and Tunstall's Chapel and Gallery. The keep on its motte, rebuilt in the nineteenth century, now provides student rooms.

Visiting

Because the castle is a lived-in college, the public can normally visit only on a guided tour, typically around forty-five minutes. Tours do not run every day and can be cancelled at short notice around university events, so it is well worth checking ahead. Tickets are sold through Palace Green Library and the university's website, with availability usually released about a month in advance; on selected summer dates there are also self-guided visits. Check the Durham University castle pages for current times and prices before setting off.