City’s cathedral has a timeless grandeur
OUR photograph captures the magnificence of Durham Cathedral and the River Wear in Durham City 60 years ago in the run-up to Christmas 1961.
If the coming decade was to witness profound social, political, and cultural change in Britain, and earn the nickname the Swinging ‘60s, the cathedral would remain a silent witness, sitting oblivious, untroubled and unchanged as it had done for centuries.
It is arguably the finest building in the North East and one of the finest in the country.
Work on the cathedral began in 1093 to house the remains of St Cuthbert, the seventh-century bishop of Lindisfarne.
It also holds the tomb of Jarrow’s St Bede, the chronicler of
Cuthbert’s life and the first English historian.
The cathedral has been in almost continuous use since its construction 900 years ago.
It remains a place of worship and pilgrimage and an important visitor attraction.
In 2019, more than 700,000 people passed through its doors.
The 12th-century section of the cathedral is the oldest and boasts a large amount of local stone called Frosterley marble, which dates back 310 million years.
On Durham Cathedral’s main door is the sanctuary knocker.
Any fugitive who touched it was granted sanctuary for 37 days and could then face their accusers or be given safe conduct to the coast.
The Durham Cathedral and
Castle world heritage site was one of the first to be designated, along with India’s Taj Mahal and France’s Palace of Versailles.
The tower of the cathedral, at a height of just under 200ft, dominates Durham. Visitors can climb the 325 or so stairs to the top for stunning views.
The cathedral is this year marking the 20-year anniversary of its starring role in the blockbusting Harry Potter movies.
The cloisters became the snowcovered quadrangle where Harry sets the owl flying in the first film and are also the scene of Ron’s slug vomiting in the Chamber of Secrets. The chapter house is the setting for Professor McGonagall’s class when he teaches wizards to turn animals into water goblets.