The magnificent landscape of Country Durham includes parts of
the Pennines, the North Yorkshire Dales and the National Nature Reserves of
Durham's Coastal regions. Durham was a Roman military outpost on Hadrian's Wall,
which was built to keep the Celts of the north (now Scotland) out of England.
The Saxons made Durham part of the Kingdom of Northumbria.
The Romans were the first to make a significant and lasting impact on the
county's settlements and communications. Having conquered the native Brigantes
around 80 AD, they built Dere Street as their supply route from York to the
Firth of Forth The Romans, however, failed to subdue the inhabitants further
north and were forced to consolidate their territory. In about 120 AD they built
Hadrian's Wall, stretching 117 km (73 miles) from the mouth of the River Tyne in
the east to the Solway Firth in the west.
County Durham is often referred to as The Land of The Prince Bishops. It was
essential that the region retained a strong stance against the aggressions of
their Scottish neighbours, and as such it was able to negotiate a unique and
independent position during the medieval period. Its strength lay in the fact
that it was ruled by the Prince Bishops who were responsible to no one other
than the King himself. Based in the Bishops Palace in Bishop Auckland the Prince
Bishops raised their own armies, minted their own coins and levied their own
taxes.
The castle at Bishop Auckland has to this day remained the home of the Bishop of
Durham although the special privileges have long since been revoked. Religion
was the key element behind the construction of many of the region's best known
landmarks.
In 1069, three years after landing in Britain, William the Conqueror finally
subdued the North of England. William recognised the defensive potential of the
rocky peninsula of Durham and a castle was founded there in 1072. Nine centuries
later, Durham Castle remains one of England's largest and best-preserved Norman
strongholds and one of the grandest Romanesque palaces. Since 1836 it has housed
the Foundation College of Durham University, the country's third oldest
university after Oxford and Cambridge. In 1093 work began on a magnificent
cathedral to house the shrine of St. Cuthbert.
The original rib vaulted church, and architectural innovation of great
importance, took 40 years to build. Since then the cathedral and St. Cuthbert's
shrine have attracted travellers from around the world. For over nine hundred
years the castle and cathedral of St. Cuthbert have dominated Durham's skyline.
This dramatic panoramic is widely regarded as one of the great visual
experiences of Europe a combination of outstanding architecture and a superb
setting. They dominate the city in their position high above the River Wear, and
to this day continue to capture the imagination of visitors. Today the castle
and cathedral are a World Heritage Site. At the foot of the castle there is a
medieval layout with beautiful alleyways and winding streets, Where you can have
a lovely walk along the riverbank.
One of the greatest influences on the early Christian tradition was St.
Cuthbert, the North's most revered and best loved saint. Cuthbert's story is
inseparable from that of the city and County Durham. A former bishop of
Lindisfarne, Cuthbert died in 687 AD and was buried on the island. His body
remained there untouched, for two hundred years. During this time frequent and
severe attacks by the Vikings eventually brought about decline of the kingdom of
Northumbria. In 875 AD the monks were forced to flee Lindisfarne, taking St.
Cuthbert's coffin with them.
They journeyed through Northern England for 120 years, settling for a while in
Chester-le-Street and Ripon. Their travels came to an end in 995 AD when,
according to the legend, the coffin became immovable and the monks were told in
a vision to take it to "Dun Holm" the 'hill on the island. Not knowing where
this might be, they followed a milkmaid looking for her cow and she led them to
the rocky peninsula of Durham. The monks built the White Church to the shelter
of St. Cuthbert's body and this remained until it was pulled down in 1092 to
make way for the new cathedral.
Evidence of the financial strength of the Christian church is reflected in the
magnificence of Durham Cathedral, which is considered to be one of Britain's
finest examples of Norman Romanesque church architecture. The present Cathedral
has stood on this spot as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for over 900 years.
It contains the remains of Cuthbert, the saintly seventh-century bishop of
Lindisfarne; it also holds the tomb of Bede, in Durham Cathedral's Galilee
Chapel. He was the chronicler of Cuthbert's life and the first English
historian. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in England and part of a
World Heritage Site.
In the 18th century, Northern England was a world leader in industrial
innovation and enterprise and County Durham was at the forefront of these
dramatic changes. The county's industrial development was based on coal and
iron. Durham became economically important in the 19th century with the
extraction of coal from the rich seams underneath it. Coal was first worked in
the shallower seams of West Durham, in drifts where it outcropped the surface.
Shafts were later sunk to reach the deepest seems. Mining communities rapidly
developed across the coalfields, which at its peak in 1913 had over 200 working
pits. Abandoned lead mines such as the one at Killhope can be found in the
western dales.
The need to carry coal to markets led to major innovations in transport. Durham
was the birth place of the railways, in 1825 the Stockton and Darlington
Railway, the world's first public steam passenger railway opened. The inaugural
train was George Stephenson's Locomotion. Causey Arch is the oldest railway
bridge still standing in the world and Tanfield Railway is the oldest existing
railway in the world.
With its coal and ironstone, County Durham quickly developed an important iron
and steel industry. New techniques developed in the Derwent valley, helped place
County Durham at the centre of British steel making. By the mid 19th century the
county had nearly 60 ironworks, and blast furnaces which made a major
contribution to the region's growing ship building and engineering industry.
Lead was mined in the Durham dales and numerous lead mines and processing plants
were scattered throughout the rugged landscape.
The region's history is recorded in many museums and galleries around the region
but of particular note is Beamish Open Air Museum. Covering over 300 acres it
records the daily lives of local people through imaginative and interactive
displays.
