About
Auckland Castle is one of the most significant and fascinating heritage destinations in the north of England — a medieval palace reborn as a major cultural campus in County Durham, home to a spectacular collection of paintings and a compelling story of faith, power, and coal. The castle has served as the official residence of the Bishops of Durham since the twelfth century, and for much of English history those bishops wielded temporal as well as spiritual authority as Prince Bishops — lords of an almost independent palatinate that governed everything from taxation to justice in the vast territory between the Rivers Tyne and Tees.
The transformation of Auckland Castle into a world-class visitor destination was achieved by the Auckland Project, a major philanthropic initiative established by businessman Jonathan Ruffer, who purchased the castle from the Church of England in 2012. Since then a programme of investment exceeding £100 million has restored the castle, created new museum buildings, and established a cultural quarter in Bishop Auckland that includes the Faith Museum, the Mining Art Gallery, a restored deer shelter, landscaped grounds, and the extraordinary Auckland Tower observatory.
The castle itself dates from the twelfth century, with the Great Hall — now a magnificent medieval banqueting room restored to something approaching its medieval appearance — being one of the most impressive rooms in the north of England. But the castle's crown jewel is the collection of paintings by the Spanish Golden Age master Francisco de Zurbarán. In 1756, Bishop Richard Trevor acquired twelve large canvases depicting Jacob and his Twelve Sons, painted by Zurbarán in the 1640s for a merchant in Seville. This extraordinary group — probably the only complete set of Zurbarán's Jacob series remaining intact anywhere in the world — hangs in the Long Dining Room as it has for nearly 270 years.
The deer park — one of the finest historic deer parks in the north, with a herd of fallow deer grazing beneath ancient oaks — extends through the grounds, and the restored St Peter's Chapel in the castle grounds is a gem of medieval ecclesiastical architecture.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Allow a full day for Auckland Castle — the castle itself, Faith Museum, Mining Art Gallery, deer park and Auckland Tower easily fill four to five hours and all are outstanding.
- The Mining Art Gallery is free to enter and should not be missed even if you only have limited time — the Durham pitman painters are extraordinary and their work deserves to be far better known.
- Pre-book your castle entry online — the Zurbarán Long Dining Room is particularly atmospheric as part of a guided tour that provides the historical context for the paintings.
- Combine with a visit to The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle (18km south-west) for an outstanding day of art and heritage in County Durham — between them, Auckland Castle and Bowes represent the two finest art collections in the region.
- Bishop Auckland station is a short walk from the castle entrance — the train journey from Durham through the Team Valley is a pleasant introduction to the landscape.
- The walled garden café is a lovely spot for lunch — try to time your visit to avoid the midday rush in peak summer.
- Check the Auckland Project website for the programme of evening events, concerts and special exhibitions — the castle hosts some of the region's most interesting cultural events.
Highlights
The Zurbarán Paintings — Jacob and his Sons
The greatest treasure of Auckland Castle and one of the most important paintings collections in the north of England is a series of twelve monumental canvases by the Spanish Golden Age master Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664), depicting Jacob and each of his twelve sons. Painted in the 1640s for a Seville merchant who may have intended them for export to South America, the series was acquired by Bishop Richard Trevor in 1756 and has hung in the Long Dining Room of the castle ever since.
Each painting shows a standing full-length figure in elaborate costume — including what appear to be North African Jewish dress details — creating a cycle of unprecedented scope and dramatic presence.
Experts believe this is the only complete set of this Zurbarán series remaining intact in the world.
The Faith Museum
Opened in 2022 in a purpose-built contemporary building, the Faith Museum tells the story of faith in Britain from the earliest prehistoric ritual through the arrival of Christianity, the Reformation, the age of toleration, and faith in the modern world.
The museum is the first in the world dedicated to exploring the role of belief in shaping human societies and cultures over millennia, using artefacts from the Auckland Project collection alongside loans from major national institutions.
It is ambitious, intellectually serious and beautifully designed, and has attracted international attention since opening.
The Prince Bishops' Castle — Medieval Great Hall
Auckland Castle was for centuries the principal residence of the Bishops of Durham, who until 1836 exercised quasi-regal powers as Prince Bishops of the County Palatine — levying taxes, raising armies, minting coins, and administering justice in the territory between the Tyne and Tees. The castle's Great Hall, dating essentially from the mid-twelfth century, is one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England, its barrel-vaulted undercroft and soaring upper hall giving a vivid sense of episcopal power and hospitality.
The restoration has returned the hall to something close to its medieval character.
The Mining Art Gallery
Bishop Auckland is in the heart of the former Durham coalfield — the community that powered Victorian Britain — and the Mining Art Gallery celebrates the extraordinary tradition of self-taught painting that flourished among Durham mining families in the first half of the twentieth century. Artists including Norman Cornish (the 'Pitman Poet Painter'), Tom McGuinness, Bob Olley and others produced works of great social power and artistic sophistication from their experience of pit life, community and landscape.
The gallery, which is free to enter, displays a rotating selection of works from a collection that is itself nationally significant.
Collections
Auckland Castle's collections are anchored by the extraordinary Zurbarán Jacob series — twelve monumental seventeenth-century Spanish paintings that have hung in the castle since 1756 and represent one of the finest intact collections of Baroque painting in any English country house. The wider Auckland Project collections include the Faith Museum's encyclopedic survey of belief in Britain, the Mining Art Gallery's Durham pitman painter collection, historic furnishings and decorative arts from the episcopal palace, and the deer park landscape.
The project's ongoing acquisitions are building a collection of international significance in a former industrial town.
Auckland Castle — The Bishop's Palace
Guided and self-guided tour of the historic castle rooms including the Great Hall, Long Dining Room (Zurbarán paintings), Bishop's Suite and St Peter's Chapel.
The Faith Museum
Permanent galleries tracing the history of faith in Britain from prehistoric ritual to the present day — the first museum in the world dedicated to this theme.
The Mining Art Gallery
Free gallery celebrating the Durham coalfield's tradition of pitman painters including Norman Cornish and Tom McGuinness.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
Nearby Museums (5 within 6 miles)
Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon
science-technology
Shildon — ~45 min walk (2.4 mi)