What Do You Mean, It's not Named After Me?
Dur means hill, ham means island, so Durham is a hill on an island. This was our first stop after leaving Leeds. I could have spent days here.
The market square had some lovely volunteers to help direct tourists. They showed us where to find a free public bathroom- very good information indeed!
The castle currently houses a university, library and an Archeology museum. We were visiting on a Sunday morning and the Cathedral was holding mass, so we only enjoyed it from the outside. Some of the gravestones were so old, they were hard to read. As much because of the old English language as the weathered stone.
Hadrian's Wall was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to protect Roman occupied Britannia from the Scottish barbarians to the North. It ran from coast to coast, and only 10% of it exists today. It has been a life long dream of mine to see it in person. When I was a little girl, I thought it was called Adrienne's Wall!
St. Nicholas church is a Gothic revival style, down in the market square. (You might know him better as Santa Clause.)
At the top of the hill stands a complex with the Durham Cathedral and Castle. They are true Gothic architecture. William the Conquerer built a lot of castles to solidify his reign. Together they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Leif and Saga thought they might like to get a degree, if they could study in a castle!
Saga said the large piece of wood was a post for a fence or gate from the Iron Age, like the plaque said. Leif insisted that it was an ogre's club.
The castle currently houses a university, library and an Archeology museum. We were visiting on a Sunday morning and the Cathedral was holding mass, so we only enjoyed it from the outside. Some of the gravestones were so old, they were hard to read. As much because of the old English language as the weathered stone.
In medieval times, if anyone committed an offence, they could touch the door knocker. They were granted sanctuary in the Durham cathedral for 37 days. At that time they had to choose between prosecution or exile.
Hadrian's Wall was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to protect Roman occupied Britannia from the Scottish barbarians to the North. It ran from coast to coast, and only 10% of it exists today. It has been a life long dream of mine to see it in person. When I was a little girl, I thought it was called Adrienne's Wall!