- Auckland Castle
Auckland Castle is a castle within
Bishop Auckland inCounty Durham ,England . The castle has a large, locally famous arch, which visitors must go under to enter the Bishop's Park. Auckland Castle is also locally known as Auckland Palace or the Bishop's Castle. The castle and its grounds contain seven Grade I listed buildings [cite web |title=Auckland Castle |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385598|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle West Mural Wall |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385600|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle Gatehouse |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385599|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle Chapel of St Peter |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385601|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle Screen Wall |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385605|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle Deer Shelter |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385606|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25] [cite web |title=Auckland Castle Lodge |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=385706|publisher=Images of England |accessdate=2008-08-25]It is the official residence of the
Bishop of Durham and has been owned by the diocese for more than 800 years, initially serving as a hunting lodge. It is more like a Gothiccountry house than a true castle with a military function. The castle is open to the public and is available for weddings, conferences and banquets.The castle is surrounded by a large park that was originally used by the Bishops for hunting. Within the park there is a Deer House which was built in 1760, for the Bishops of Durham. It is a large stone
castellated structure and acts as a shelter fordeer . There is a viewing room for people to view the deer.The castle's long dining room is home to 12 of the 13 17th century portraits of
Jacob and his 12 sons painted byFrancisco de Zurbarán , which were saved byPrince-Bishop Trevor in 1756 [cite news
title = London should keep its hands off the treasures of the north
publisher =The Guardian
date =2005-10-07
url = http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1586992,00.html
accessdate = 2007-08-21 ] . Trevor was unable to secure the 13th,Benjamin , so commissionedArthur Pond to produce a copy, which hangs alongside the 12 other originals [cite news
title = Bid to keep castle paintings in N-E
publisher =The Northern Echo
date =2001-05-14
url = http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2001/5/14/171061.html
accessdate = 2007-08-21 ] .Part of the building was called 'Scotland' because it was used to house Scottish prisoners. The Scotland Wing presently serves as accommodation for the Durham Diocesan Office.
Auckland Castle in the media
Auckland Castle was shown on
BBC 'sAntiques Roadshow programme in 2006, and two episodes were shown.References
External links
* [http://www.auckland-castle.co.uk/index.htm Official site]
*IoE|385602
*IoE|385603
*IoE|385604
*IoE|385607
*IoE|385608
*IoE|385708
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