Durham, ENG - Postcode - DH1 5EE

Durham

Located in northeastern England, Durham is both a metropolitan region (based on 2011 built-up area) and a former city (district), unitary authority, and historic county. Durham County's seat of government located here.

The peninsula in a bend of the River Wear is where the city's historic center may be found. William I the Conqueror (reigned 1066–1087 AD) selected this natural defensive place as a fortification and bastion against the Scots to the north; hence, the feudal prince-bishops of Durham were given responsibility for defending northern England from that point on. Constructed in order to guard the peninsula's northernmost short neck, the castle served as a bishop's palace up until the year 1836. In the 1200s, the peninsula was protected with a wall, much of which is still standing today. In addition to its defensive importance, medieval Durham served as a major pilgrimage destination due to the presence of St. Cuthbert's (7th century) remains in the city's Romanesque cathedral (begun in 1093 and dedicated to Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin). In 1986, UNESCO recognized the city's historic core as a World Heritage site.

During the Middle Ages, the city was firmly under the control of the church, which represented the bishop's expansive secular authority. In ancient times, the constable (law officer) of the bishops' castle oversaw the fortified peninsula portion. Elvet was located on the eastern bank of the river, under the control of a Benedictine monastery that had been founded in Durham in 1083. (suppressed in 1540). Situated near St. Nicholas and Framwellgate, the bishops ruled the area. In the 12th century, the northernmost neighborhood of St. Giles became a borough in its own right. Durham's bishops were pivotal in the city's rise to prominence as a center of learning. It was a bishop who was responsible for establishing the University of Durham in 1832 and for appropriating the castle for university use in 1836; Durham School was established in the 15th century. The institution has grown from its original, tight location on the peninsula to include land to the south of the river. The university's School of Oriental Studies houses significant collections of East Asian items in the Oriental Museum (established in 1960 as the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology).

Durham, the modern county seat, continues to serve as a religious and educational hub in keeping with its historic roots. The city's close proximity to the metropolitan areas of Tyne and Wear and Redcar and Cleveland has hampered the growth of the marketing and service sectors of the local economy. The city of Durham is home to a number of carpet and organ manufacturing facilities. However, it is not and has never been an industrial hub. Instead, it has long been the region's political and cultural hub. Suburban neighborhoods and rural areas surround the city's historic core.

Geography

The Market Place, at the tip of the peninsula, is still the site of regular markets, and the Durham Indoor Market, a year-round indoor market, is conveniently located nearby. One of the city's primary commercial and shopping districts is located in and around the Market Place. The Bailey extends south from the Market Place, through the Palace Green, and is largely controlled by the University and the Cathedral.

Symbolically built upon seven hills, Durham is a hilly city. The cathedral, situated as it is on an elevated platform above the Wear, is visible from all throughout town. The densely wooded riverbanks add to the city's scenic attractiveness. Another river, the River Browney, originates west of the city center and flows south to converge with the Wear to the city's south.

Saddler Street leads south-east towards Elvet Bridge, the Bailey, and Prebends Bridge; these are three of the ancient roadways that branch off from the Market Place. The Bailey can reach south Durham via the smaller Prebends Bridge, while the Elvet neighborhood, Durham Prison, and the south may be reached via the larger Elvet Bridge. From the Market Place, you can take Silver Street west to reach the city's other major commercial district, North Road, through the Framwellgate Bridge. From here, the city stretches out into the mostly residential neighborhoods of Framwelgate, Crossgate, Neville's Cross, and the viaduct. Framwellgate Moor and Neville's Cross are two neighborhoods on the outskirts that can be reached by crossing the viaduct. From the Market Square, you may reach Claypath by heading north. The route doubles back to the east, where you may find Dragonville, Gilesgate, and Gilesgate Moor.

Durham is totally encircled by green belt as it is a part of the larger Tyne and Wear Green Belt area, which extends beyond the city limits of Framwellgate Moor/Pity Me, Elvet, and Belmont. This is done to prevent the city of Chester-le-Street from encroaching upon neighboring villages including Bearpark, Great Lumley, and Sherburn. Raintonpark Wood, Belmont Viaduct, Ramside Hall, Durham City Golf Course, the River Wear, Browney and Deerness basins, and the Durham University Botanic Gardens are only some of the landscape features and facilities found within the green belt area. The original design dates back to the 1990s.