The Lambton Hounds Inn

Sadler Street

by sandysmith

Fleshergate is now called Sadler Street - but this is not strictly correct as Sadler Street really begins where it splits into two either side of the Magdalen Steps. On the left hand side the street leads to Elvet Bridge whilst on the right Sadler Street proper leads up to the cathedral square. So here we are arriving at the cathedral - info on that and the castle can be found in the "must see" section.

Where there is heaven...you also have hell

by sourbugger

Durham maybe one of the most holy sites in England - a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years, but it also has a darker side.

You can maybe see the Cathedral from Durham Prison, but built in 1810 and containing 600 cells and at least on ghost - this place may have put a sense of fear into many people over the years.

Before it became illegal, Durham prison was the site of several hundred executions, and a permanent gallows stood ready at all times.

Inmore recent times it has housed some of the most evil murderers. These have included Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.

You can see very little of the prison, but the adjoining courthouse is an impressive building.

If you walk up the hill on Old Elvet you can then cut right in front of the courthouse and prison.This will bring you onto new Elvet, where it is a short walk across Kingsgate bridge to the Cathedral area.

NB - on the website given, follow the links to prison Histories.

Durham University

by barryg23

Durham University is one of the oldest and best Universities in the UK. When I was doing my undergraduate degree in Dublin, I had the chance of doing an exchange year in Durham and I'm very sorry now I didn't take the opportunity. A close friend of mine in Oxford studied here and had nothing but happy memories of her time in Durham. Most of the University, including the different colleges, is in the south of the city about 1km below the cathedral, but there are a few buildings closer to the centre.

Almshouses

by iwys

The row of almshouses, which stands on one side of Palace Green, once used to house the poor people of Durham. Today they are vegetarian tea rooms, frequented by students. The Almshouses were originally founded by Bishop Cosin, in a charter dated 31st August, 1668, endowing them with an annual budget of £70.

I only visited for the cathedral.......

by leics

I'd never managed to get to Durham before now, so it made sense to stop off on my way back from Northumberland.

Durham has a very good value park & ride system, so it was easy to leave the car just ouside the city and hop onto the frequent buses to the town centre.

I didn't really want to do anything apart from see Durham Cathedral, which I knew is both beautiful and important. 'Miles better than York Minster' I was told by an Alnwick local.

As it happened, I was also pleased to find an Orange shop in Durham, because my mobile phone had decided to die on Lindisfarne (it clearly had a sense of occasion).

So I was not only able to visit the cathedral but also to buy a new cheapo phone from a helpful young lady in the Orange shop, wander the streets a little, listen to authentic Northumbrian pipes being played by a busker (see video), have a good coffe and pastry and......very pleasingly....found an excellent coat and pair of jeans in the local charity shops (all clustered together in the area on the non-cathedral side of the bridge).

Altogether, very satisfactory four hours or so. :-)

The cathedral is indeed lovely (although I think York is just as good). I really enjoyed wandering around it, but would have been much happier if I'd been able to take my own photos. I don't want to buy someone else's; I want to find my own special things.

I didn't understand why it isn't allowed (I'm always happy to pay for a permit). The nice lady guide I spoke to could not give me a reason; she just said permits were very difficult to get and were generally issued for educational purposes only.

There is nothing in the cathedral which would be harmed by flash (which one can ban anyway) and I would have thought the additional income would be welcomed. But perhaps the money that the Harry Potter films have brought (the cathedral is 'Hogwarts') means it is not too short of cash at the moment?

Whatever, I enjoyed visiting its differently-carved pillars, and St Cuthbert's shrine, and the Chapel of the Nine Altars, and the tomb of the Venerable Bede. I paid to visit the exhibition where one can see Cuthbert's coffin and pectoral cross (and various bits of Anglo-Saxon textile and other ancient church equipment). That was worthwhile and, of course, one would not expect to take photographs of such fragile artefacts.

I knew Durham was a very small city, and it is. Not a vast area to explore. I was slightly surprised at how Georgian much of the architecture in the town centre is ....I'd expected more Medieval buildings, and more timber-framing (had York in mind, I suppose).

But it is a pleasant enough place to spend a few pre- and post- Cathedral hours, with plenty of shopping opportunities for those who are interested in such things, and some good museums, and the rather lovely river Wear for wandering beside, or boating upon, or just gazing at as one sits with a coffee or a beer.

I'm glad I stopped off on the way home.