Plan your visit to Auckland Palace with North East Escapes. Explore the Bishops' Palace, Mining Art Gallery and Faith Museum, and find nearby holiday homes. |
Visit Auckland Palace, Bishop Auckland's Royal Transformation
Auckland Palace in Bishop Auckland has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, emerging from centuries of quiet episcopal use as one of the most exciting and ambitious cultural visitor attractions in the North of England. The medieval Bishops' Palace, home to the Bishops of Durham for over 900 years, now houses the Faith Museum telling the story of religion in Britain, the Mining Art Gallery celebrating the extraordinary artistic tradition of the Durham coalfield, and access to the magnificent state rooms of the palace itself. Combined with the recently restored 800-acre deer park and the striking Auckland Tower, it represents an astonishing cultural investment in one of County Durham's most important historic towns.
Auckland Palace has been the residence of the Bishops of Durham since the twelfth century, when Bishop Hugh de Puiset converted an earlier building into a palace fit for Prince Bishops who were among the most powerful men in England. The building was substantially enlarged and altered in the medieval and Tudor periods, with the great chapel added in the fourteenth century and the state rooms expanded over subsequent centuries. The park, which surrounds the palace, retains its medieval deer herd and is one of the largest walled deer parks in England still in its original boundaries. The Church Commissioners sold the palace to the Auckland Castle Trust in 2012, triggering the extraordinary programme of restoration and reinterpretation that has transformed it into a world-class visitor destination.
The palace state rooms include the extraordinary 800-year-old chapel and the room housing the remarkable Zurbarán paintings, thirteen large-scale depictions of Jacob and his twelve sons commissioned by the Bishop of Durham in the 1660s, now restored to their original setting in the palace. The Faith Museum on the ground floor tells the story of belief in Britain from prehistoric times to the present in an engaging and thought-provoking way. The Mining Art Gallery celebrates the self-taught painters of the Durham coalfield, whose powerful work documenting mining life has become increasingly recognised as one of the most significant bodies of art produced in twentieth-century England. The deer park is free to enter and provides outstanding walking.
Auckland Palace is located at Market Place, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 7NR, in the town centre of Bishop Auckland. It is open to visitors daily from late March through October with reduced winter opening. Tickets for the palace and museums are available online and on the door. The Faith Museum, Mining Art Gallery and deer park have different access arrangements so checking the website for the latest details before visiting is recommended. Bishop Auckland is approximately 12 miles from Durham city and 15 miles from Darlington.
North East Escapes has a selection of holiday homes in the Bishop Auckland area and the wider County Durham countryside, ideal for visitors combining Auckland Palace with Raby Castle, The Bowes Museum, Beamish, the Durham Dales and the broader cultural richness of County Durham. Our Durham holiday homes provide an excellent base for exploring everything this outstanding county has to offer, from medieval castles and cathedrals to industrial heritage, Pennine landscapes and the Durham Heritage Coast.
