Auckland Tower and Auckland Castle opening dates announced

Auckland Tower: Saturday, 21 July 2018
Auckland Castle: Saturday, 1 December 2018

The official launch dates for Auckland Tower, a new visitor welcome centre, and the re-opening of Auckland Castle have been announced today by The Auckland Project.

Auckland Castle
Auckland Castle will re-open to the public in time for a Christmas celebration in 2018. To coincide with the annual Christmas Market and festival holiday period, the historical home of the Prince Bishops of Durham will re-open its doors to the public on Saturday, 1 December 2018, following a multi-million pound conservation programme.

The launch had always been scheduled for 2018, however due to a number of fascinating finds and a few unexpected challenges, the Castle re-opening has been moved from summer 2018 to 1 December 2018.

During the initial phases of construction work, carried out by Meldrum Construction Services Ltd and supported by Archaeological Services Durham University, previously unknown historical features were revealed. These exciting finds have shone new light on the history of the Castle and the important role it has played over the centuries. Many of these features date back to the Tudor period, including a beautifully engraved serving hatch from 1500, discovered in the old kitchen, which features carved details matching those in the Buttery at Durham Castle.

Also uncovered within this space, are historic window and door openings, which are thought to have been constructed in the Tudor period, but have later been decorated with elaborate cusp mouldings from the mid-17th century, likely during the episcopate of Bishop Cosin (1660–1672). Upstairs a Tudor Fireplace decorated with the coat of arms of Bishop Ruthall (1509–1523), has been uncovered, together with significant historic wallpapers dating from the 1720s through to the 1830s.
An archaeological excavation earlier this summer revealed that a proportion of the Castle’s Scotland Wing was without substantial foundations. The Auckland Project has worked with Meldrum Construction Services Ltd. to respond quickly to this major civil engineering challenge, underpinning the building to secure its long-term future and making it fit for purpose to house to the Faith Museum from 2019.

The transformation of Auckland Castle from an empty shell will take several months. The historic interiors will be painstakingly re-presented; metres of heavy damask curtains will be hung, specially woven carpets laid and period furniture upholstered. There are over 50 paintings to be displayed, including the return of the Zurbarán paintings, currently on show in the USA.

Auckland Tower
The public will be able to climb the 29 metre high Auckland Tower taking in the views, as well as exploring inside the new ticket hall from Saturday, 21 July 2018, when it officially opens to the public.
Auckland Tower is The Auckland Project’s purpose built welcome centre, designed by award winning architects Niall McLaughlin. The ground floor contains a reception and ticketing desk and the first floor, which features a beautifully stencilled ceiling, will hold information on the Project, Castle and Prince Bishops. Visitors can enter the viewing tower from either floor before taking the lift or stairs to see the amazing views.

At this time, Durham County Council will complete the road re-alignment in front of Auckland Tower, whilst the internal furniture fit out takes place. The Auckland Project staff will undergo extensive customer service and ticketing system training, to ensure that all visitors receive a warm welcome when the building opens.

More details regarding the public opening events programme for both Auckland Tower and Auckland Castle will be released in 2018.