Auckland Castle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Auckland Castle
Auckland Castle on the left, Chapel of St Peter in the centre
Location	Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 7NR
Built	c. 1183
Architectural style(s)	Gothic; Gothic Revival
Owner	Auckland Castle Trust
Website	aucklandproject.org/venues/auckland-castle/

Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Auckland Castle
Designated	21 April 1952
Reference no.	1196444


Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Chapel of St Peter at Auckland Castle
Designated	21 April 1952
Reference no.	1196446


National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Official name: Auckland Castle Park
Designated	7 October 1986
Reference no.	1000727

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Auckland Castle, also known as Auckland Palace, is an old castle in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England. For many years, it was the home of the bishops of Durham. They lived there from about 1183. It was their main home between 1832 and 2012.

In 2012, the castle and its art were sold to the Auckland Castle Trust. This group is now called the Auckland Project. Today, the castle is a popular place for tourists to visit. The bishop's offices are still located there.

The castle is famous for its chapel. People say it is "one of the finest rooms in North East England." This chapel used to be the castle's great hall in medieval times. It was changed into a chapel by Bishop John Cosin between 1661 and 1665. The beautiful wooden parts, like the pulpit and screens, were made for Cosin. They mix old Gothic and fancy Baroque styles.

The castle also has twelve paintings by a Spanish artist named Francisco de Zurbarán. These paintings show Jacob and His Twelve Sons. There is a thirteenth painting of Benjamin, but it is a copy. The real one is at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Auckland Castle is a very important historic building, known as a grade I listed building.

Castle History: A Journey Through Time
Exploring the Castle Grounds
Castle in Culture
Images for kids
See also

Castle History: A Journey Through Time

Auckland Castle is built on flat land between two rivers, the River Gaunless and River Wear. The town of Bishop Auckland is next to the castle on one side. On the other sides, the land slopes steeply down to the rivers.

Early Beginnings and Royal Visits

The castle was probably started by Hugh de Puiset, who was bishop from 1153 to 1195. It was finished in the early 1200s. The chapel we see today was once the castle's great hall.

In the 1400s, Bishop Lawrence Booth built a college for religious leaders near the castle walls.

In 1603, after Scotland and England joined under one king, Bishop Tobias Matthew invited important royal guests to stay. These included Anne of Denmark, Prince Henry, and Princess Elizabeth. They stayed at Auckland on their way from Scotland to London.

Changes After the Civil War

After the First English Civil War ended in 1646, the Church of England was changed. Auckland Castle was sold to Sir Arthur Hazelrigg. He pulled down much of the old medieval castle, including the original chapel. He then built a large house.

When the monarchy was brought back in England, Bishop John Cosin took down Hazelrigg's house. He rebuilt the castle and turned the old banqueting hall into the chapel we see today.

The Famous Zurbarán Paintings

In 1756, Bishop Richard Trevor bought a famous collection of paintings. These were the "Jacob and his twelve sons" series by Francisco de Zurbarán. They are still in the Long Dining Room at the castle.

These paintings might have been meant for South America. But they never got there. Instead, they ended up with a man named James Mendez. He sold twelve of the thirteen paintings to Bishop Trevor in 1757.

Bishop Trevor could not get the 13th painting, "Benjamin." It was sold to the Duke of Ancaster and is now at Grimsthorpe Castle. Bishop Trevor then asked Arthur Pond to paint a copy of "Benjamin." The copy, along with the 12 original paintings, hangs in the castle's Long Dining Room. Bishop Trevor had this room specially designed for the paintings.

The Throne Room, a grand room in the castle

Later Bishops and New Ownership

Shute Barrington, who was Bishop of Durham from 1791 to 1826, hired a famous architect named James Wyatt. Wyatt helped to make the different parts of the palace look more alike in the late 1700s. He worked on rooms like the Throne Room.

In 1832, William van Mildert was the last bishop to rule the county palatine of Durham. He gave Durham Castle to start Durham University. After this, Auckland Castle became the only main home for the Bishop of Durham.

In 2001, the Church Commissioners decided to sell the paintings. But in 2011, this decision was changed. A generous person named Jonathan Ruffer gave £15 million. New plans were made to put the paintings and the castle under the Auckland Castle Trust. This meant the public could finally see them. Before, they were in a private home and only special guests could view them.

Auckland Castle Reopens in 2019

The dining room with the famous paintings of Jacob and his Twelve Sons by Francisco de Zurbarán

In 2019, news reports explained that Jonathan Ruffer had bought the castle and all its contents, including the famous Zurbarán paintings, in 2012. The paintings had been traveling for exhibitions. They were brought back to the castle in time for its reopening on November 2, 2019.

The castle reopened as part of the Auckland Project. It had gone through a huge restoration project, costing millions of pounds. Part of the money came from the National Lottery.

When it reopened, a new 35-meter-high tower was ready as a visitor center. This tower has a lift and stairs. It also has balconies where you can get great views of the castle from above. The inside of the castle was fully restored. This included the bishops' fancy living areas. Each of the 14 restored rooms shows the life of a past bishop. A Faith Museum about world religions and a large glass greenhouse were also being built on the castle grounds.

Other interesting places to visit near the castle include:

The Mining Art Gallery, which shows art by miners. It opened in 2017.
Kynren, an outdoor show about English history with a cast of 1,000 people.
The Bishop Trevor Gallery at the castle, which shows famous artworks from the National Gallery.

Finding Bek's Chapel

In February 2020, archaeologists announced an exciting discovery. They found the ruins of Bek's chapel at the castle! People knew that this chapel, which would have been one of the largest in Europe, was somewhere on the castle grounds. But its exact location was a mystery.

The chapel was built by a warrior-bishop named Anthony Bek around 1300. It cost £148, which was a lot of money back then! There was a special exhibition at Auckland Castle from March 4 to September 6, 2020, to show items found in the ruins.

Exploring the Castle Grounds

The clock tower, the main entrance to the castle grounds

You enter the castle grounds from Bishop Auckland marketplace through a clock tower. This tower was built in 1760 by Bishop Trevor. It was made in a style called Gothick. The buildings next to it on the right include parts of the old college from the 1400s.

The castle is surrounded by a large deer park, covering 800 acres (about 3.2 square kilometers). This park has many old features from medieval times. These include fish ponds and woodland paths. They show how the medieval bishops lived, entertained guests, and hunted there.

Castle in Culture

Auckland Castle was used as the setting for a story by Lewis Carroll in the 1800s. The story was called "A Legend of Scotland."

In 2006, Auckland Castle was featured in two episodes of the BBC show Antiques Roadshow. In 2013, a bed from the 1400s, which once belonged to King Henry VII, was put on display at the castle.