Durham

Updated: Apr 24, 2022

University and dormitory housed in a traditional castle - Durham Castle and Cathedral 370

What and Why

Once being a university hall warden, I am still keen to know how student dormitory has evolved over the years, especially those from England, when literally much of the hall traditions originate. Durham Castle houses the world's oldest student accommodation, when the castle dates back to 1073 CE, although the castle was transformed to a dormitory only in the mid-19th century CE. Still a fascination to all who stayed in a student hall with all these fantasies from Harry Potter, the castle is now entirely a student dormitory, and access to the castle for the public is restricted to guided tours handled by the students.

Durham is a Norman castle built during the 11th century CE under the order of William I (né William Normandy), the first Norman king of England. Similar to other castles built near the same era, it uses the motte and bailey architecture, for instance those in Caenarfon, blogged earlier.

The Durham Cathedral, or officially Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and Saint Cuthbert of Durham is just sitting opposite to the Castle is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the world. It houses the relics of Saint Cuthbert.

Toponymy

Durham comes from the Old English 'dun', meaning hill, while ham means a village. So literally Durham means a village on the hill.

See

The centre of Durham is very compact, with small cobbled roads leading to the top of the hill where both the castle and cathedral is located.

Durham Castle

The entrance.

The castle retains some very old features, notably a Tudor chapel with decorated misericords. The castle arranges guided tours organised by its student residents. As usual, these old halls main attraction is the dining hall, where one can re-imagine the Harry Potter's scenes. Photographs were not allowed during the hall tour.

Durham Cathedral

The cathedral is one of the tallest in Europe and was built to intimidate neighbouring Scotland and became an instantaneous architectural landmark. The cathedral's library contains one of the most complete sets of early printed books in England, the highlight of them being the copy of Magna Carta.

One of the main architecture features of the cathedral is the use of stone ribs forming pointed arches to support the ceiling of the nave, and was considered an important achievement.

Because of its distinctive Romanesque architecture, the cathedral has been used as locations for many movies, for example, Elizabeth, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and recently Avengers: Endgame.

Getting There and Around

Durham is easily walkable and the castle complex is not that far away from the main train station. In fact as mentioned before, the cobblestreets are very mediaeval in nature and is not that drivable. The entrance fee to the castle is GBP £5. Durham can be a pleasant day-visit.