It's one of Britain's most beautiful cathedrals, perched majestically on a bluff above the River Wear. Here's the essential information on the superb, Norman Durham Cathedral.
When was Durham Cathedral built?
Building on the Cathedral began in 1093, and the choir was completed by 1096. A little later, in 1104 the remains of St. Cuthbert were transported to thenew cathedral. The monks continued to look after the Shrine of St Cuthbert until the dissolution of the monasteries.
Is Durham England's most beautiful cathedral?
It's certainly a string candidate. We included Durham Cathedral in our round-up of the best cathedrals in the world.
Standing majestically on its crag above the River Wear, Durham Cathedral is one of England’s most impressively situated buildings. It is just one highlight of a beautiful medieval city about which the travel writer Bill Bryson wrote ‘If you have never been to Durham before, go there at once. Take my car, it’s wonderful.’
The Norman cathedral was originally the church of a Benedictine Priory dissolved during the reformation. During the English Civil War the cathedral was used to incarcerate nearly 2,000 Scottish soldiers taken prisoner during the battle of Dunbar. In 2013, while building a new café, workers made the grisly discovery of a mass grave, thought to contain the remains of some of these prisoners of war.
Who went to Durham Chorister School?
The young singers of Durham Cathedral Choir are educated at the Chorister School, an independent prep school next door. Both actor Rowan Atkinson and former prime minister Tony Blair are alumni of the school, although neither sang in the cathedral choir itself.
