Auckland Castle

Auckland Castle stands on flat ground between the River Gaunless and the River Wear south of their meeting point. The town of Bishop Auckland lies just to the west, while the land falls steeply to the rivers on the other three sides. Begun by Bishop Hugh de Puiset in the late 12th century, the castle was completed in the first half of the 13th century. The medieval great hall survives today as the castle chapel, remodelled in the 1660s by Bishop John Cosin. A college for canons was added in the 15th century immediately west of the enclosing wall. The castle is best known for its twelve Zurbarán paintings of Jacob and His Twelve Sons, bought in 1756 by Bishop Richard Trevor. The 13th portrait, Benjamin, is a copy made for the castle after the original was sold away. A £15 million donation from Jonathan Ruffer in 2011 secured the paintings and castle for public display. The castle became the bishops’ main residence in 1832 and remains the episcopal seat of the See of Durham. A new visitor tower now rises 35 metres above the grounds, offering views across the rivers and town. Inside, fourteen restored rooms trace the careers of former bishops, recreated from accounts and memories. The chapel’s Gothic-Baroque woodwork includes pulpit, stalls and screen, installed by Cosin. Outside, walled gardens and a glasshouse open onto terraces below the castle. The Faith Museum, opened in 2023, covers 6,000 years of British religious history in a stone extension. Foundations of Bek’s chapel, once one of Europe’s largest, were discovered in 2020 and displayed in a special exhibition.