Bishop Auckland

For a large part of the area's history, the autonomous powers held by the bishop of Durham meant that the county operated as a principality under England's protectorate. The UNESCO site describes the role of the bishops in the "buffer state between England and Scotland":<blockquote>From 1075, the Bishop of Durham became a Prince-Bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England's northern frontier.</blockquote> A steward of Bishop Antony Bek in the thirteenth…

An October 2019 article in The Guardian referred to Bishop Auckland as a "rundown town ... since the closure of the mines" but predicted that the re-opening of Auckland Castle would transform the community into a "leading tourist destination". after a multi-million pound restoration project, funded partly by the National Lottery. The Faith Museum of world religion and a huge glass greenhouse were under construction on Castle property. Other attractions already operating at or near the Castle include the Mining Art Gallery (in a nearby former bank building in the town centre) a 7.5 acre open-air theatre, Kynren, on the other side of the River Wear, with a cast of 1,000 depicting the history…