Why is it that we wait until we get a visit from friends or relatives before we have a look at our local attractions?  Last week, we had one of our Australian relatives with us so we went down to Bishop to see what the Auckland Project had to offer.

Absolutely brilliant.

Value for money – for £24 I got an annual pass which gets unlimited access into Auckland Castle, the Faith Museum, the Spanish Gallery, the Mining Art Gallery and the gardens & grounds.  I doubt if anyone could visit all the sites in one day and appreciate the exhibits so the annual pass is sensible.  We will be back.  We purchased our tickets at the Auckland Tower from where there are fantastic views of the surrounding area. 

I have selected a few personal highlights of our visit.

The Auckland Tower

Above: Views from the Tower.

Above:  A view towards the new Faith Museum building and Auckland Tower.

Above: The entrance to Auckland Castle.

Above:  The impressive Auckland Castle with the Chapel to the right.

Above:  A personal touch – a replacement decorated circular stone window casement within the upper wall on the southern elevation – this work was completed pre 2004, by my mate stonemason, Geoff Saltmarsh, from Staindrop, sadly no longer with us.

Above: Window 4, the Northern Saints depicting St. Cuthbert, commissioned by Bishop Lightfoot in the 1880s.

Above:  The Chapel ceiling.

Above:  The Auckland Plate.

Above:  The Long Dining Room which features the Zubaran paintings.

Above:  Architectural plans.

Above: Bishop William van Mildert’s seal matrix (on loan from the British Museum).

The Faith Museum

Above: Bishop Hensley Henson’s pectoral cross (on loan from the Church Commissioners).

Above: The Binchester Ring which dates from the200s AD.

Above:  Window glazed with fragments of stained glass.

The Spanish Gallery

Housed in the old Barclay’s Bank and the Barrington School, much of the original buildings have been retained and incorporated into the design of the gallery.

Above: The original ceiling in the bank reception.

Above:  Display areas within window and door openings.

Above:  The Innkeeper’s wife.

Above: An example of high quality Spanish tile work.

The above is just a glimpse of the exhibits on show in the Auckland Project attractions – and I haven’t shown any of the paintings in the magnificent Miners’ Gallery.

Kevin Richardson 26/04/2024