ON LOCATION
COUNTY DURHAM
Capture the Castles This ceremonial county has a rich industrial heritage and many fine fortifications
Frequent trains to Durham depart from London’s King’s Cross rail station and take just under three hours.
W
ith an industrial heritage based on coal mining, County Durham wasn’t always the tourist destination it is today. Coal production took off here in medieval times, peaking in 1923 when 170,000 people were employed in the pits. Today, however, visitors to the country will be awed by the county’s best-known attraction,
8 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JANUARY 2022
Durham Cathedral (durhamcathedral.co.uk), built in 1093 to replace an existing church. This important Norman-Romanesque structure was built to honour the pious St Cuthbert, who lived in seclusion on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast. Wander the 1,000-year-old cobbled streets of Durham to enjoy this historic, hilly city to its fullest. Its university, which in 1832 was the third to open after Oxford and Cambridge, operates several
