Durham Castle and Cathedral

Durham Castle and Cathedral, seated high on a peninsula overlooking the River Wear, have been the first sight to greet visitors to this historic city for hundreds of years and were jointly designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Construction on the castle began in 1072, just after the Norman Conquest, under the orders of William the Conqueror. From the 11th century onwards it was used as the seat of power of the Prince Bishops appointed by the British Crown to rule the Palatinate of Durham, the remote area of northern England vulnerable to attack from the Scots. In 1837, the last Prince Bishop, Bishop Van Mildert, helped found the University of Durham and donated the castle as its first home. It still houses students of University College, the oldest of the 14 university colleges, who live in the keep and dine in the wood-panelled Great Hall, containing portraits of the Prince Bishops. Across the lawned area, known as Palace Green, stands the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, the best example of Norman-style architecture in England.