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Durham Castle - Durham, County Durham (Pvt)

The city of Durham is still dominated from all viewpoints by the twin site of Cathedral and Castle on top of a sandstone bluff. From the execution for treason of Earl Waltheof in 1074, the castle and the civil power in Durham and the surrounding lands were held in tandem with the ecclesiastical position of Bishop. The Palatinate of Durham was extremely powerful, minting its own coin, having its own army and courts and the castle was only separated from the church in 1836, when the last Count Palatine of Durham gave it to the new University. As the castle is still used by the University, visiting is limited and by guided tour.

Inside is a wonderful Norman crypt chapel, with imaginative carved capitals and round-headed windows. One of the chief glories of the castle is a Norman doorway, blocked up for centuries but now restored. There is also a fine Great Hall dating from the late thirteenth century and a huge kitchen range of rooms from the fifteenth century, both still used for the purpose they were built for.

Check out another site covering Durham Castle: Tour of Durham Castle

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