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Auckland Castle, County Durham UK Photograph: House of Hues Courtesy: The Auckland Project.
Exhibition
The Inside Story: Conserving Auckland Castle
4 Mar 2020 – 6 Sep 2020
Regular hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Friday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 10:00 – 18:00
Cost of entry
Entry to Bishop Trevor Gallery included with admission to Auckland Castle. Admission prices £10 for adults, £8 for concessions, £3 for under-16s or included with Auckland Pass ticket, priced at £12.50 per adult and valid for multiple visits to all Auckland Project sites until January 2021.
Address
- Auckland Castle
- Bishop Auckland
England - DL14 7NR
- United Kingdom
Discover what goes on behind the scenes of a major conservation project in this new exhibition, revealing the processes and techniques used to restore Auckland Castle, the former home of the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham.
About
As one of Europe's best preseved medieval Bishops' palace, Auckland Castle has more than 1,000 years of untold history hidden beneath layers of time within its walls.
Following a three-year conservation project, this special exhibition peels back those centuries, blows off the dust and reveals the Castle’s hidden past, including features uncovered during building work, that that had otherwise remained unseen for hundreds of years.
The conservation of Auckland Castle, completed in November 2019, saw a team of specialist craftspeople, architects, archaeologists, expert conservators and volunteers dedicate thousands of hours to conserve this historic building, and return its grand state rooms to their original Georgian splendour.
In the course of their work, some hidden surprises came to light, offering an insight into the lives of the Castle’s former residents, the Prince Bishops of Durham. Archaeological excavations have also shed new light on how the medieval Prince Bishops lived.
Visitors to Inside Story: Conserving Auckland Castle are able to examine these new discoveries for themselves, from astounding archaeological finds to centuries-old signatures, never-seen-before designs for the Castle, and even a pair of Georgian waffle irons.
And usually kept behind the scenes, the professional skills and techniques used by conservators are moved to centre stage for this exhibition.
From historic paint analysis to discover the Castle’s 18th century colours to the careful and painstaking work to conserve the Castle’s furniture, paintings and architectural features, the secrets behind caring for an historic building are all on show.
