City in County Durham, England
Durham
Durham is a city where students sleep in a Norman castle, a medieval bishop once ran his own mini-state, and a legendary dun cow is said to have picked the spot for the cathedral.
Key information
- County
- County Durham
- Nation
- England
- Known for
- Norman cathedral and castle, Durham University, the Miners' Gala, Lumiere light festival
- What locals are called
- Dunelmians (from Dunelm, the Latinised form of Durham)
- Famous people
- The Venerable Bede, St Cuthbert, Bill Bryson (Durham University chancellor, 2005–2011), Tony Blair (schooled here)
About Durham
The cow that chose a cathedral
The story goes that in 995 a group of monks was carrying the coffin of St Cuthbert, searching for a final resting place after fleeing Viking raids on Lindisfarne. The coffin refused to budge. A voice was heard saying it should go to Dun Holm, and by happy chance a milkmaid was looking for her lost dun cow, which was resting on that very hill. The monks followed her, and a church was raised on a wooded peninsula almost surrounded by the River Wear. Whatever the truth of the legend, the site was a brilliant choice. The river loops around it in a steep-sided bend, which made it easy to defend and hard to forget.
A cathedral built to last
Work on Durham Cathedral began in 1093, and the Normans made it a statement of power. Its great stone nave, with its chunky patterned pillars and early use of rib vaulting and pointed arches, was cutting-edge engineering for its day. It is still often named among the finest Romanesque buildings in Europe. Inside lie two of the north's most revered figures. St Cuthbert's shrine is here, and so is the tomb of the Venerable Bede, the monk from Jarrow often called the father of English history. On the north door hangs the Sanctuary Knocker, a fierce bronze face. Medieval fugitives who grasped it could claim protection inside the church, for a period of up to 37 days. The cloisters will look familiar to film fans, as they stood in for Hogwarts corridors in the early Harry Potter films.
The bishop who acted like a king
For centuries Durham was run by prince-bishops, who held powers that elsewhere belonged to the Crown. They could raise armies, hold their own courts and mint coins, because the north was a dangerous border region and the king wanted a strong hand there. The castle beside the cathedral was their fortress and palace. Those special powers faded in the 19th century, and in 1832 the castle's story took a new turn. Durham University was founded, the third oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge. Its University College still lives in the castle, which means some students really do walk down a Norman staircase to breakfast.
Coal, banners and the Big Meeting
Look beyond the postcard skyline and Durham is also a mining city. Coal shaped the surrounding county, and every July the Durham Miners' Gala, known as the Big Meeting, fills the streets. It has been held since 1871. Colliery banners are carried through the city behind brass bands, and thousands follow them to the racecourse, while a service takes place in the cathedral. It is one of the great working-class gatherings in Britain, and a rare sight: silk banners, trade union speeches and a cathedral all in the same afternoon.
A small city with big nights out
Durham is compact, with cobbled streets, riverside paths and bridges, including the modernist Kingsgate Bridge, which leaps across the Wear to link the university to the old town. The Durham Regatta, one of the oldest rowing regattas in the country, has taken place on the river since 1834. From 2009 to 2023, the biennial Lumiere festival turned Durham into an after-dark gallery, with light installations illuminating the cathedral, bridges and streets. The planned 2025 edition was cancelled. The city has a food claim too. Durham mustard has been a local name since the early 1700s, linked to a Mrs Clements who is credited with milling the mustard flour that transformed the condiment. Bill Bryson, a former chancellor of Durham University, called it a perfect little city in Notes from a Small Island. Few visitors disagree.