Durham County
Durham Cathedral (by Kelly Rudland)
The Prince-Bishops of Durham once ruled the north-east from their Cathedral in Durham and from their castles in both Durham and Auckland. Durham is now a city of learning and the arts; its Oriental Museum being a treasure house of worldwide works of art.
County Durham is bordered by Northumberland in the north and by the River Tees in the south. The western edge is crossed by the high ridge of the Pennines, with Hamsterley Forest stretching for some 5,000 acres across its central plain. The rivers Tees and Wear wind their way across the county, down from the Pennines between gentle hills, towards the abandoned coal fields of the eastern lowlands and the coast. The River Wear encircles a small hill in the centre of Durham City, on which stands its cathedral and castle.
'.. after many wanderings past, He chose his lordly seat at last, Where his Cathedral huge and vast Looks down upon the Wear; There, deep in Durham's Gothic shade His relics are in secret laid.'
County Town: | Durham - distance from London: 269 miles (432 km) |
Nearby Counties: | Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire |
Train Operators: | East Coast |
Nearest Airport: | Durham Tees Valley |
Major Roads: | A1(M) |
Highest point: | Burnhope Seat, 2452 feet |
Rivers: | Tees, Wear |
County Flower: | Spring Gentian |
Local Delicacies: | Stotty Cake - locally baked bread cake Durham Lunch Cake - a rich mixture of dried fruit and spices baked in a loaf tin |
The Meaning of Durham County
Durham is unique being both a county and a town. First recorded in 1000 as Dunholme, a Scandinavian word meaning 'hill Island', later modified to its modern form by the Normans.
Map of Durham County
North East England
