Durham Attractions
Durham boasts a huge range of cultural attractions. From industrial heritage to art collections, ancient castles to exotic gardens, rail heritage to religious heritage, it's got it all.
The iconic Cathedral and Castle UNESCO World Heritage site was the first to be designated and is one of the finest surviving examples of Romanesque architecture on the planet.
There are castles and historic houses filled with dazzling art and furniture collections. While The Bowes Museum is home to European art and the famous mechanical Silver Swan dating back to 1773. Or step back in time at Beamish Museum and experience life in the North in the 1800s and 1900s.
Marvel at the work of Saxon stonemasons who created Esomb's tiny church, a place of worship for over 1400 years! Hop aboard a steam engine at Locomotion in Shildon, ride the world's oldest existing line at Tanfield Railway or pop on a hard hat and head down the mine at Killhope, the North of England Mining Museum. Delve into the tropical collections in the University Botanical Garden or meander through the themed borders at Crook Hall.
St Helen's Parish Church dates from around AD1120 when the nave bays were built. Side aisles were added in AD1170 and chapels in around AD1220. The clerestory and battlements date from around AD1500. The main door is original. Several features in the church refer to the Eden family, forebears of Sir Anthony Eden. The church underwent a major restoration in 2001 which included the renewal of the stone floor and the addition of Read More…
It is believed that a wooden church existed on the site of the present church which dates from AD1000. The beautifully decorated north aisle arches were added in about AD1180. Read More…
St Mary the Virgin is an Anglo-Saxon church listed as being 1 of 20 pre-Viking churches in the country. Founded around 600AD, the chancel was rebuilt in the Norman period and a tower around 1300. It overlooks the cliffs and the sea of the Durham coast. Still in use, the church is a quiet and valued part of the historic settlement of Old Seaham, with its links with Byron and the coal-owning Londonderry family. Read More…
Relics of St Cuthbert, embroidered vestments, 11thC sanctuary knocker, manuscripts, altar plate and seals. Also facsimile of The Lindisfarne Gospels and interactive computer programme 'Turning the Pages'. Read More…
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