Wednesday 8 February 2006. A night alone in a strange city! It's my first visit to Durham. I ate in a cheap Italian place, trying to ignore two university students showing themselves up by trying to sound intellectual by doing down the city, its inhabitants and the "North" in general.
I was staying at a hotel just the other side of the river and crossed over a high bridge to enter the city centre. Then a wander through some narrow streets until I eventually came to Durham Cathedral. More formally it is the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham. It contains the relics of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, The Venerable Bede, and also the head of St Oswald.
Durham Castle is adjacent to the cathedral and they share part of the walls. From 1075 CE the Bishops of Durham became Earls, a Prince Bishop with the power to mint coin, raise taxes and maintain an army. In return they were tasked with maintaining the border between England and Scotland.
The Dining or Great Hall dates from the early 1300s and has been enlarged and then reduced over the centuries, but still measures 98 feet long (30 metres) and is 46 feet high (14 metres). In 1832 the Bishops' residence was moved to Auckland Castle and Durham Castle was donated to Durham University, being used by University College, Durham from 1837. It wasn't as late as midnight by the way - the clock must have been stopped and the correct method to let people know not to rely on it is to set both hands to twelve. This only usually causes confusion near noon and midnight.
I have a day's course to run tomorrow so it's back into the dark streets and heading back towards the river and my hotel for the night.
The bridge over the River Wear.
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