Durham Cathedral College

The first church at Durham was founded in 995, by monks fleeing from Viking attacks on their original home at Lindisfarne Priory. The present building was begun by William de St-Calais, appointed by William the Conqueror as Bishop of Durham in 1080. To support the monks, the area of the college was developed as an outer courtyard, housing a range of buildings including the prior's lodgings, an infirmary, an exchequer, a brewhouse, and accommodation for visitors (the Guests Hall). Entry to the college was through a fortified gatehouse. This was rebuilt in the late 15th or early 16th centuries by Prior Castell. On the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, the monastic church was…

The college's northern border is formed by the cloisters of the cathedral, to the west by the River Wear, and to the east and south by the South Bailey. It comprises a rough rectangle, with a green at its centre. On the green stands the Conduit House and another water pipe. The latter is late 18th/early 19th century in date, but the former has 17th century origins, although it was given Gothick detailing in the mid-18th century, possibly by Sanderson Miller. Remodelling of the exteriors in the 18th and 19th centuries has given the college a Georgian appearance, but much of the original medieval fabric remains. In 1974, a series of "highly important" murals were uncovered at the deanery,…