Random thoughts and photos of my journey through life…
St Peter’s Chapel, attached to Auckland Castle is rich with history and well worth a visit. On my visit a guide told us about the extensive history of the chapel but sadly a guidebook was not available and searching the internet does not easily reveal its treasures.
The original chapel was destroyed after the Civil War. [...]
6 Comments CherryPie on Jan 26th 2022
Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Newcastle & Durham 2021
Auckland Castle: It used to be that the power of the Prince Bishops of Durham was second only to the English monarchy. Commissioned to defend that monarchy, the Bishops were placed strategically close to the border between England and Scotland – who weren’t always on the best of terms – so they needed a home [...]
4 Comments CherryPie on Jan 22nd 2022
The exact date of the foundation of St. Anne’s Church is not known. The present Grade 2 listed 19th century structure is the successor to at least three previous chapels on the same site, the first recorded of which was well established by the late 14th century. It is most likely to have originated some [...]
8 Comments CherryPie on Jan 16th 2022
Filed under Art, Heritage, Holidays, Newcastle & Durham 2021
The Mining Art Gallery located in Bishop Auckland contains artwork of prominent artists including art from Tom McGuiness and Norman Cornish. The Mining Art Gallery provides a unique insight into the lives and souls of coal miners by depicting their life in the mines and the communities that grew around them.
These incredible pieces illuminate and [...]
10 Comments CherryPie on Jan 11th 2022
Filed under Art, Holidays, Newcastle & Durham 2021
The life size bronze statue of Stan Laurel is located on Theatre Corner, the site once occupied by the Eden Theatre owned by his parents. Laurel, featured in his iconic head-scratching pose, dressed in dungarees, with paintbrush in hand, is standing on a cubed marble plinth, with 13 iconic film reels at his heels.
12 Comments CherryPie on Jan 10th 2022
Filed under Anecdotes, Holidays, Newcastle & Durham 2021
When we arrived at breakfast I found to my disappointment the bread that accompanied the continental breakfast selection was stale and inedible!
We had booked tickets to visit Auckland Castle, the former home of the Prince Bishops of Durham. We arrived with plenty of time to spare so we used the opportunity to book tickets to [...]
8 Comments CherryPie on Oct 5th 2021
After breakfast which was almost back to normal, we headed off to the National Railway Museum. Our second attempt at visiting was successful and we arrived before the museum had opened. The museum is interesting, telling the progressive story of ‘Locomotion’. One of its prized exhibits is the original Locomotion No. 1, designed by George [...]
4 Comments CherryPie on Oct 4th 2021
