Durham
locally, in
RP) is a small
city and main settlement of the
City of Durham district of
County Durham in
North East England. It is well known for its
Norman Cathedral and
Castle, and is home to
Durham University.
HM Prison Durham is also located close to the city centre.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of County Durham at current basic prices
published (pp.240-253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|
| 1995 | 4,063 | 47 | 1,755 | 2,261 |
| 2000 | 4,783 | 40 | 1,840 | 2,904 |
| 2003 | 5,314 | 39 | 1,978 | 3,297 |
includes hunting and forestry
includes energy and construction
includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
 |
Durham Castle and Cathedral |
 |
Durham Market Place |
 |
The Viaduct |
Durham is situated 13 miles (21 km) to the south west of
Sunderland, in
North East England. The
River Wear flows north through the city, enclosing the centre on three sides to create Durham's "peninsula". Durham is a hilly city, claiming to be built upon the symbolic
seven hills. Upon the most central and prominent position high above the Wear, the
cathedral dominates the skyline. The steep riverbanks are densely wooded, adding to the picturesque beauty of the city. West of the city centre, another river, the
River Browney, drains south to join the Wear to the south of the city.
Durham won the Large Town award in the
Britain in Bloom awards of
2005.
The
county town of
County Durham, Durham is located in the
City of Durham local government district, which extends beyond the city, and has a total population of 87,656, and covers 186.68 square kilometres. The
unparished area of Durham had a population of 29,091, whilst the built-up area of Durham had a population of 42,939.
Durham's
MP is
Roberta Blackman-Woods (
Labour).
Transport
Durham railway station is situated on the
East Coast Main Line between
Edinburgh and
London; rail travellers coming from the south enter Durham over a spectacular Victorian
viaduct high above the city. By road, the
A1(M), the modern incarnation of the ancient
Great North Road, passes just to the east of the city. (Its previous incarnation, now numbered A167, passes just to the west.) Durham has an airport, in name, the
Durham Tees Valley Airport - but this is actually far closer to
Darlington. The Market Place and peninsula form the UK's first (albeit small)
congestion charging area, introduced in
2002. [
1]
Districts of Durham
The centre of Durham sits on a
peninsula created by the
River Wear. At the base of the peninsula is the
market square, which still hosts regular markets; a permanent indoor market is also situated on the square. The square and surrounding streets are one of the main commercial and shopping areas of the city. From the market square,
The Bailey leads south past
Palace Green: The Bailey is almost entirely owned and occupied by the
University and
Cathedral.
There are three old road bridges leading onto the peninsula, now all pedestrianised. Prebends Bridge is at the Southern tip of the Bailey. Heading east from the square, Elvet Bridge leads to the
Elvet area of the city. Heading west, Milburngate Bridge leads to the
Milburngate district,
Crossgate and North Road, the other main shopping area of the city. West of here is an area colloquially known as "The Viaduct" after the structure which dominates, now largely student-populated. Beyond The Viaduct lies the outlying districts of
Framwellgate Moor and
Neville's Cross. Heading north from the market place leads to
Claypath. The road curves back round to the East and beyond it lies
Gilesgate and Gilesgate Moor.
 |
A map of the city from 1610 |
Archeological evidence suggests a history of settlement at Durham since roughly
2000 BC. The present city can clearly be traced back to
995 AD, when a group of monks from
Lindisfarne chose the strategic high peninsula as a place to settle with the body of
Saint Cuthbert, that had previously lain in
Chester-le-Street, founding a church there. The present
Durham Cathedral was built from
1093, and still contains the remains of
St Cuthbert as well as The
Venerable Bede. It is regarded by many - such as travel writer
Bill Bryson - as the finest
cathedral in the world [
2] [
3] .
Facing the cathedral across
Palace Green is
Durham Castle, originally built by the
Normans from
1071, on William the Conqueror's return from campaigning in Scotland. Some of the present structure is more recent, notably
Anthony Salvin's Victorian restorations. The two buildings are jointly designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site- one of the original nine in Britain. Since
1837 the castle has been home to
University College, the first college of the
University.
In the three centuries following the construction of the Castle, Durham was regularly besieged by the
Scots, with the notable
Battle of Neville's Cross (
1346) occurring just one mile west of the city.
 |
Durham's traditional flag |
In medieval times Durham was a major centre of both political and ecclesiastical power, mainly due to its strategic importance near the border with
Scotland. County Durham was a
palatinate, ruled by
Prince-Bishops who had secular authority and considerable autonomy from
Westminster, minting their own coinage, dispensing their own justice and with the right to maintain their own armies. Every
Bishop of Durham from
1071 to
1836 was a Prince Bishop except for the first Norman-appointed bishop Walcher, who was an Earl-Bishop. (The term Prince Bishop, while a useful one, is not one which the Durham Bishops themselves would have recognised.)
Henry VIII curtailed some of the Prince-Bishop's powers, and smashed the shrine of Cuthbert in
1538. Finally, the public climate surrounding the Great Reform Act of 1832 removed the Bishop's extraordinary powers.
In
1832 the
University of Durham was founded, which has several buildings on the peninsula and on
Elvet Hill on the other side of the river. The 19th century also saw Durham grow as a centre of the
coal mining industry. The first
Durham Miners' Gala was held in 1871, and remains a popular annual event.
The
municipal borough was known as 'Durham and
Framwelgate', until it was merged with
Durham Rural District and
Brandon and Byshottles urban district to form the
City of Durham district.
*
Barnabe Barnes Elizabethan poet
*
Tony Blair Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-present)
*
Edward Bradley Novelist ('Cuthbert Bede')
*
Count Joseph Boruwlaski Celebrated dwarf
*
George Camsell International footballer
*
Paul Collingwood English cricketer
*
John Bacchus Dykes Hymnologist
*
John Meade Falkner Arms manufacturer and novelist (
Moonfleet)
*
Godric of Finchale Hermit and popular medieval saint
*
Dora Greenwell Poet
*
Josh Clarke Writer
*
Canon William Greenwell Antiquary
*
John Gully Pugilist
*
Steve Harmison English cricketer
*
Gareth Archer English rugby player
*
Ian Hay Novelist
*
Lorna Hill Author of the 'Wells' ballet books
*
Violet Hunt Novelist and 'new woman'
*
Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad Philosopher and radio broadcaster
*
Lawrence of Durham Poet
*
William Pearson Watercolorist, Topographer
*
50 Pence International Comedy Rapper
*
Anna Maria Porter Novelist
*
Jane Porter Novelist
*
Reginald of Durham Hagiographer
*
Simeon of Durham Historian
*
Christopher Smart Poet
*
Joseph Spence Literary memoirist
*
Anne Stevenson Poet
*
Robert Surtees Historian and antiquarian
*
Hugh Walpole Novelist
*
Walter of Durham 13th century painter
*
Sir Arnold Wolfendale Astronomer Royal
*
Sir Bobby Robson Footballing legend, the grandfather of English managers .
*
Durham,
North Carolina*
Tübingen,
Baden-Württemberg*
Durham, NC*
Kostroma, Russia*
Toyama, Japan*
History of County Durham*
Durham County Council*
Durham City Council*
Durham University*
Virtual tour of the peninsula*
2001 Census data*
A brief history of Durham
