Visit Bishop Auckland Places

Welcome to Visit Bishop Auckland Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Bishop Auckland

  

Bishop Auckland Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Bishop Auckland

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Bishop Auckland history

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Toponymy

The town was first attested under the name Alclit, (or Alcluith or Alcleat) Alclud is related to another Cumbric toponym, Alclud, which has been interpreted as “rock on the Clyde river” or “cliff on Clyde” The present form of the name is accepted to be Old Norse in origin. The name Gaunless is of later Norse origin, meaning useless. It is believed this derives from the river’s inability to power a mill, sustain fish or create fertile floodplains.

Early

The earliest known reference to Bishop Auckland is around 1000AD as land given to the Earl of Northumberland for defending the church against the Scots. A village almost certainly existed on the town’s present site long before this, with there being evidence of church on the site of St Andrew’s Church in South Church as early as the seventh century. There is also evidence of possible Iron Age settlements around the town, together with finds of Bronze Age, Neolithic and Mesolithic artefacts.

Bishops of Durham

Much of the town’s history surrounds its links with the Bishops of Durham. In 1083, Bishop William de St-Calais expelled a number of canons from Durham. Around 1183 Bishop Pudsey established a manor house in the town, with a great hall being completed in 1195 on the site occupied by St Peter’s Chapel today. Bishop Bek preferred the town as his main residence over Durham Castle due to its proximity to hunting grounds. The castle was scheduled to re-open to visitors in November 2019 after a multi-million pound restoration project.

Industrial Revolution

By 1801, the town had no notable roads other than the Roman road, and little trade beyond weaving. Coal mining had existed on a small-scale as early as 1183 when it is mentioned in the Boldon Book. The arrival of the railways in the early nineteenth century allowed large scale coal mining. The Bishop Barrington School opened on 26 May 1810, the Bishop’s own birthday.

Industrial decline

By the early years of the twentieth century coal mining started to go into decline. By the end of the 1920s unemployment had hit 27% and the population too had started to decline. With the onset of the Great Depression unemployment rose to 60% in 1932 before easing back to 36% in 1937. The Second World War offered a temporary reprieve for the coal industry, however the decline continued. The last deep colliery in the area closed in 1968, although drift mines and the much more mechanised and less labour-intensive surface level opencast mining continued.

Bishop Auckland economy & business

Building tourism in the town

Auckland Castle re-opened on 2 November 2019 after renovations by the Auckland Project, after a multi-million pound restoration project, funded partly by the National Lottery. By the time of the opening day, a new 35 meter high tower had been erected as a visitor centre; the structure has a lift and a staircase as well as balconies for views of the castle from above. Other attractions already operating at or near the Castle include the Mining Art Gallery in a nearby former bank building in the town centre.

Bishop Auckland landmarks

The grounds of Auckland Castle alone contain seven Grade I listed structures. Escomb Saxon Church, St Andrew’s parish church, St Helen’s church and St Helen Hall are all Grade I-listed. Other notable buildings include the town hall, a Victorian railway viaduct and Roman fort.

Auckland Castle

Auckland Castle has been the official residence of the Bishop of Durham since 1832. It was established as a hunting lodge for the Prince Bishops of Durham. The castle also provides the setting for Lewis Carroll’s story “A Legend of Scotland”

Binchester Roman Fort

Binchester Roman Fort has one of the best preserved examples of a Roman military bath house hypocaust in the country. Bishop Auckland’s main shopping street, Newgate Street, together with Cockton Hill Road and Watling Road faithfully follow the route of Dere Street.

Bishop Auckland geography / climate

Bishop Auckland is located on the Durham coalfield at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless. The town nestles in the rivers’ valley about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level. Notable wards include Cockton Hill, Woodhouse Close, and Henknowle.

You can visit Bishop Auckland places with Walkfo Bishop Auckland to hear history at Bishop Auckland’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Bishop Auckland has 41 places to visit in our interactive Bishop Auckland map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Bishop Auckland, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Bishop Auckland places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Bishop Auckland & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 41 audio facts unique to Bishop Auckland places in an interactive Bishop Auckland map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Bishop Auckland Places Map
41 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Bishop Auckland historic spots	Bishop Auckland tourist destinations	Bishop Auckland plaques	Bishop Auckland geographic features
Walkfo Bishop Auckland tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Bishop Auckland

  

Best Bishop Auckland places to visit

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Bishop Auckland has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Bishop Auckland’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Bishop Auckland’s information audio spots:

Shildon A.F.C. Shildon Association Football Club was established in 1890. They play in the Northern Premier League Division One East. They are based in County Durham and play at Dean Street.

Hackworth Park Hackworth Park is a park in Shildon, County Durham. It was named after Timothy Hackworth, a railway pioneer from the town.

Visit Bishop Auckland plaques