Durham Cathedral: A Visitor's Guide

Durham Cathedral has stood above the River Wear for more than 900 years and is widely regarded as one of the finest Norman buildings in Europe. Together with the neighbouring castle it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1986. Here is what to see and how to plan your visit.

A Norman masterpiece

The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1093, and the main body of the cathedral was largely finished within about forty years. It is one of the most complete Norman cathedrals in England, and among the earliest large buildings anywhere to be given a stone-vaulted ceiling, its patterned columns and ribbed vaults a step towards the Gothic that followed. The Galilee Chapel at the west end was added in the 1170s, its slender columns and richly moulded arches quite different in feel from the massive nave, while the Chapel of the Nine Altars at the east end is a later, thirteenth-century addition in the Early English style.

St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede

The cathedral exists because of St Cuthbert, the seventh-century Lindisfarne saint whose shrine lies behind the high altar and drew pilgrims for centuries. At the west end, in the Galilee Chapel, is the tomb of the Venerable Bede, the early medieval scholar and historian. Two of the most important figures in the history of northern Christianity rest under one roof.

The tower, the knocker and Open Treasure

Energetic visitors can climb the central tower, a narrow spiral of 325 steps to a viewing platform high above the city, weather permitting. On the north door hangs the bronze Sanctuary Knocker, a replica of the medieval original that fugitives once grasped to claim sanctuary; the original is now displayed inside in Open Treasure, the cathedral's permanent exhibition set within the medieval monastic buildings.

Visiting

The cathedral is a working place of worship holding daily services, and general entry is free, though visitors are encouraged to donate. The tower climb and Open Treasure carry separate charges, and opening times vary around services and events, so check the cathedral's official website before you travel. Give yourself at least an hour, and pair it with the neighbouring castle and a walk around the peninsula.