Auckland Castle
Encyclopedia
Auckland Castle is a castle in the town of Bishop Auckland
in County Durham
, England
.
The castle has been the official residence of the Bishop of Durham since 1832. However, it has been owned by the diocese for more than 800 years, being established as a hunting lodge for the Prince Bishops of Durham
. It is more like a Gothic
country house than a true castle with a military function. The Castle's Scotland Wing presently serves as the administrative offices of the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance.
The castle's long dining room is home to 12 of the 13 17th century portraits of Jacob
and his 12 sons painted by Francisco de Zurbarán. The room, in which they have hung for 250 years, was specifically designed and built for them. In 2001 the Church Commissioners
voted to sell the paintings which have a £20m valuation, but relented until a review in 2010.
On 31 March 2011 Church Commissioners announced that plans to sell off the paintings were shelved following a donation of £15 million from investment manager Jonathan Ruffer.
The castle is surrounded by 800 acres (3.2 km²) of parkland, which was originally used by the Bishops for hunting and is today open to the public. The castle and its grounds contain seven Grade I listed buildings. These include a Deer House within the park which was built in 1760. It is a large stone castellated structure and acts as a shelter for deer
. There is a viewing room for people to view the deer.
on the site. Bishop Bek
, who preferred the town as his main residence over Durham Castle
due to its proximity to hunting grounds, later converted the manor house into a castle.
After the dis-establishment of the Church of England
, at the end of the first civil war
, Auckland Castle was sold to Sir Arthur Hazelrig
, who demolished much of the castle, including the chapel, and built a mansion. After the restoration
of the monarchy, the new Bishop of Durham, John Cosin
, in turn demolished Hazelrig's mansion and rebuilt the castle converting the banqueting hall into the chapel that stands today.
In 1756 Bishop Trevor
bought a set of paintings of Jacob
and his 12 sons painted by Francisco de Zurbarán which still hang in the castle's long dining room today. The seventeenth century paintings' intended destination was South America. However, they were captured by pirates and never made it to their destination. Eventually, the paintings came into the possession of James Mendez who sold 12 of the 13 to Bishop Trevor
in 1756 for £125.
Trevor was unable to secure the 13th portrait, Benjamin
which was sold separately to the Duke of Ancaster and hangs in Grimsthorpe Castle
, Lincs. Trevor commissioned Arthur Pond
to produce a copy of the Benjamin portrait. The copy together with the twelve originals were hung in the castle's long dining room, which Trevor had James Wyatt
redesign to take the portraits.
's Antiques Roadshow
programme in 2006, and two episodes were shown
Auckland Castle also provides the setting for Lewis Carroll
's story "A Legend of Scotland". Part of the building is called 'Scotland' because it was used to house Scottish prisoners. The Scotland Wing presently serves as accommodation for the Durham Diocesan Office.
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The castle has been the official residence of the Bishop of Durham since 1832. However, it has been owned by the diocese for more than 800 years, being established as a hunting lodge for the Prince Bishops of Durham
Diocese of Durham
The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic County Durham . It was created in AD 1000 to replace the Diocese of Lindisfarne...
. It is more like a Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
country house than a true castle with a military function. The Castle's Scotland Wing presently serves as the administrative offices of the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance.
The castle's long dining room is home to 12 of the 13 17th century portraits of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
and his 12 sons painted by Francisco de Zurbarán. The room, in which they have hung for 250 years, was specifically designed and built for them. In 2001 the Church Commissioners
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
voted to sell the paintings which have a £20m valuation, but relented until a review in 2010.
On 31 March 2011 Church Commissioners announced that plans to sell off the paintings were shelved following a donation of £15 million from investment manager Jonathan Ruffer.
The castle is surrounded by 800 acres (3.2 km²) of parkland, which was originally used by the Bishops for hunting and is today open to the public. The castle and its grounds contain seven Grade I listed buildings. These include a Deer House within the park which was built in 1760. It is a large stone castellated structure and acts as a shelter for deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. There is a viewing room for people to view the deer.
History
In around 1183 Bishop Pudsey established a manor houseManor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
on the site. Bishop Bek
Antony Bek
Antony Bek was a medieval Prince Bishop of Durham.-Early life:Bek and his elder brother Thomas Bek were members of a family of knights. Their father was Walter Bek, who held lands at Ersby in Lincolnshire. Another brother was John Beke, who held the family lands in Ersby...
, who preferred the town as his main residence over Durham Castle
Durham Castle
Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been wholly occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working building and is home to over 100 students...
due to its proximity to hunting grounds, later converted the manor house into a castle.
After the dis-establishment of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, at the end of the first civil war
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
, Auckland Castle was sold to Sir Arthur Hazelrig
Arthur Haselrig
Sir Arthur Haselrig, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1659. He was one of the five members of Parliament whom King Charles I tried to arrest in 1642, an event which led to the start of the English Civil War...
, who demolished much of the castle, including the chapel, and built a mansion. After the restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of the monarchy, the new Bishop of Durham, John Cosin
John Cosin
John Cosin was an English churchman.-Life:He was born at Norwich, and was educated at Norwich grammar school and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was scholar and afterwards fellow. On taking orders he was appointed secretary to Bishop Overall of Lichfield, and then domestic chaplain to...
, in turn demolished Hazelrig's mansion and rebuilt the castle converting the banqueting hall into the chapel that stands today.
In 1756 Bishop Trevor
Richard Trevor (bishop)
Richard Trevor was an English prelate, Bishop of St David's from 1744 to 1752 and Bishop of Durham from 1752 until his death.-Life:...
bought a set of paintings of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
and his 12 sons painted by Francisco de Zurbarán which still hang in the castle's long dining room today. The seventeenth century paintings' intended destination was South America. However, they were captured by pirates and never made it to their destination. Eventually, the paintings came into the possession of James Mendez who sold 12 of the 13 to Bishop Trevor
Richard Trevor (bishop)
Richard Trevor was an English prelate, Bishop of St David's from 1744 to 1752 and Bishop of Durham from 1752 until his death.-Life:...
in 1756 for £125.
Trevor was unable to secure the 13th portrait, Benjamin
Benjamin
Benjamin was the last-born of Jacob's twelve sons, and the second and last son of Rachel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin. In the Biblical account, unlike Rachel's first son, Joseph, Benjamin was born in Canaan. He died in Egypt on...
which was sold separately to the Duke of Ancaster and hangs in Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle is a country house in Lincolnshire, England four miles north-west of Bourne on the A151. It lies within a 3,000 acre park of rolling pastures, lakes, and woodland landscaped by Capability Brown...
, Lincs. Trevor commissioned Arthur Pond
Arthur Pond
Arthur Pond was an English painter and engraver.-Life:Born about 1705, was educated in London, and stayed for a time in Rome studying art, in company with the sculptor Roubiliac. He became a successful portrait-painter....
to produce a copy of the Benjamin portrait. The copy together with the twelve originals were hung in the castle's long dining room, which Trevor had James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
redesign to take the portraits.
Culture
Auckland Castle was shown on BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
programme in 2006, and two episodes were shown
Auckland Castle also provides the setting for Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's story "A Legend of Scotland". Part of the building is called 'Scotland' because it was used to house Scottish prisoners. The Scotland Wing presently serves as accommodation for the Durham Diocesan Office.
Notable structures
| Image | Name | Listed | Co-ordinates | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Castle | Grade I | 54.6664°N 1.6702°W | Probably begun in 12th Century and completed in 13th century. | ||
| West Mural Tower and West Walls | Grade I | 54.6663°N 1.6725°W | First wall built 14th century | ||
 |
Entrance Gateway | Grade I | 54.6657°N 1.6712°W | Built by Thomas Robinson Sir Thomas Robinson, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Robinson, 1st Baronet was an English architect and collector.Thomas left his brother William his title but not his estates, and his brother Richard his books, including those on architecture and antiquities. On 2 March 1730, he was created a Baronet, of Rokeby, in the County of... in 1760 for Bishop Trevor |
|
| Chapel of St Peter | Grade I | 54.6669°N 1.6699°W | Built as Great Hall around 1190. Completed 1249. Converted to chapel 1661-65 | ||
| Screen wall | Grade I | 54.6662°N 1.6698°W | Built around 1795 for Shute Barrington Shute Barrington Shute Barrington was an English churchman, Bishop of Llandaff in Wales, as well as Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham in England.-Life:... by James Wyatt James Wyatt James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:... |
||
| Deer Shelter | Grade I | 54.6686°N 1.6666°W | Built around 1760 | ||
| Castle Lodge | Grade I | 54.6656°N 1.6710°W | Built 17th Century | ||
| 11 Market Place | Grade II* | 54.6655°N 1.6715°W | Built early 18th Century. Formerly known as 18 Castle Square | ||
| 15 and 16 Market Place | Grade II | 54.6658°N 1.6716°W | 18th Century park gate-houses | ||
| 17 and 18 Market Place | Grade II | 54.6658°N 1.6718°W | Built early 18th century | ||
| 12 Market Place | Grade II | 54.6656°N 1.6713°W | Built early 18th Century. Previously known as 19 Castle Square. | ||
| 2 and 3 Castle Square | Grade II | 54.6662°N 1.6715°W | Medieval use unknown. Later Prebends' College, then carriage house. | ||
| Westcott Lodge | Grade II | 54.6660°N 1.6713°W | Built early 18th Century. | ||
| Six pillars | Grade II | 54.6662°N 1.6723°W | Possibly 17th Century hay shed. | ||
| Garden and Drive Walls | Grade II | 54.6658°N 1.6701°W | Built 18th and 19th century. Railings added 19th Century | ||
| Jock's Bridge | Grade II | 54.6710°N 1.6694°W | Built 1819, forms park boundary wall. | ||
| Trevor's Bridge | Grade II | 54.6706°N 1.6679°W | Built 1757 | ||
| Ice House | Grade II | 54.6707°N 1.6672°W | Probably built late 18th Century | ||
| Footbridge over Coundon Burn | Grade II | 54.6717°N 1.6670°W | Built mid 18th Century | ||
| Footbridge over Coundon Burn | Grade II | 54.6721°N 1.6639°W | Built 1827 | ||
| Footbridge over Coundon Burn | Grade II | 54.6714°N 1.6614°W | Built 18th Century. | ||
| Well head | Grade II | 54.6724°N 1.6588°W | 2m high pyramid. Part of 18th Century water supply to castle. | ||
| Cistern | Grade II | 54.6727°N 1.6567°W | Part of 18th Century water supply to castle. | ||
| Milestone on Castle Drive | Grade II | 54.6740°N 1.6565°W | 18th Century | ||
| Park Gates and Screen Wall | Grade II | 54.6741°N 1.6439°W | Built late 18th Century | ||
| Lodge Farmhouse | Grade II | 54.6770°N 1.6635°W | Built 1779 for John Egerton John Egerton (bishop) John Egerton was an Anglican bishop.-Family:Egerton was the eldest son of Henry Egerton, the Bishop of Hereford, himself a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Bridgewater. Egerton served under his father as Dean of Hereford and was later Bishop of Bangor from 1756-68, Bishop of Lichfield from 1768-71... |
||
| Stables and Barn of Lodge Farmhouse | Grade II | 54.6770°N 1.6638°W | Built 1779. | ||
| Stables and Barn of Lodge Farmhouse | Grade II | 54.6769°N 1.6632°W | Built 1779. |