AUCKLAND CASTLE

County Durham

As the residence of the Prince Bishop's of Durham, Auckland Castle has a long history of sumptuousness; and is dominated - predictably - by the Chapel.

The Prince Bishop's have lived here in Bishop Auckland since before 1150.  The first time it became a "Castle" was when it was rebuilt by Bishop Anthony Bek (1284-1311).  In 1863 Frederick Wilson made a rather random assumption that it must have been "a veritable Edwardian vastle - with a keep, and a castellated circumvallation garnished with towers" - despite the fact that he (and indeed no one since) had ever turned up evidence to support this idea.

Between 1388 and 1406 Bishop Skirlaw built a gatehouse onto Bek's Castle and further alterations were made by Bishop Tunstall around 1530-59.  A vast amount was spent on the Castle by Bishop Richard Neile between 1617 and 1628.  Like all ecclesiastical properties it was confiscated during the Commonwealth and was bought by Sir Arthur Haslerigg in 1647. Haslerigg demolished a good deal of the Castle to build his own manor house in the grounds. This was then demolished when the Monarchy was Restored and Bishop John Cosin repossessed the Castle.  He re-used the materials on reconstructing the Castle.  It was during this period that Bishop Bek's great hall was converted into the massive and beautiful St. Peter's Chapel which dominates the Castle today.

By 1737 the Castle was once more in poor repair and Bishop Richard Trevor undertook yet another rebuild in the 1760s.  His successor, Bishop Egerton, rather annoyingly demolished the great gatehouse and built a Screen gate which carries Bishop Trevor's name, even though he wasn't to blame for the loss of the original.

The Bishops of Durham - no longer Prince's but still Bishops! - still live at Auckland Castle which is open to the public during the summer months, and is surrounded by a famed deer park.

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© Text copyright - Raving Loony Productions, Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
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2001