Bishop Auckland
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Bishop Auckland is a market town in County Durham in North East England. It is located approximately 12 miles northwest of Darlington and 12 miles southwest of Durham City at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless. The River Gaunless was given its name by Norsemen in whose tongue it means useless. According to the 2001 census, Bishop Auckland has a population of 16,500.
The Bishop Auckland area has two tiers of local government, district council and county council. The local district council is Wear Valley District Council and the county council is Durham County Council. The town is a part of the Bishop Auckland Parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented at Westminster by Helen Goodman MP (Labour).
Notable buildings and structures in the town are the Bishop's Palace, the Town Hall and a Victorian Railway Viaduct. Escomb Saxon church and Binchester Roman Fort are also close by.
The Bishop's palace, often also known as Auckland Castle, is the official residence of the Bishop of Durham. It is surrounded by a large and beautiful park that was orignally used by the Bishops for holding hunting trips.
The Town Hall is a "Gothic style" Victorian Building overlooking the town's market place and is Grade 2* listed. The town hall was fully restored in the early nineties after being abandoned and then condemned for demolition in the eighties. It now houses the town's main public library, a theatre, an art gallery, tourist information centre and a cafe-bar.
The route of the Roman road Dere Street passes straight through the middle of the town on its way to the nearby Roman Fort at Binchester. Binchester Roman Fort, or Vinovia as it was known to the Romans, has one of the best preserved examples of a Roman Bath house in the World. Bishop Auckland's main shopping street, Newgate Street, together with Cockton Hill Road and Watling Road faithfully follow the route of Dere Street. Note that Watling Road should not be confused with the Roman road Watling Street, which is in the South of England.
The town also has a Victorian Railway Viaduct crossing the River Wear. The viaduct provides scenic views of the surrounding countryside below as well as Auckland Castle, the Bishop's Park and the Town Hall on approaching the town from the Viaduct. It was originally built to carry the Bishop Auckland to Durham City railway line across the River Wear and the Newton Cap Bank that leads down to the river. The viaduct fell into a period of disuse when the railway line closed and was at one pointed threatened with demolition. However more recently, rather unusually, the viaduct has been converted to take road traffic relieving the fourteenth century single lane Bishop Skirlaw bridge that sits in the valley below it.
The nearby village of Escomb is home to one of the oldest Saxon churches in England.
Actor Stan Laurel of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy lived in the town during his childhood attending the town's Grammar School. His parents owned the now demolished Eden Theatre, which was located at the junction of Newgate Street and South Church Road.
Bishop Auckland is also famous for its amateur football team, Bishop Auckland AFC, which won the FA Amateur Cup 10 times in the Trophy's 80 year history, having appeared in the Final on 19 occasions. The adjacent town of West Auckland is notable for having been home to the first team to win the Football World Cup. Its team of local coal miners won the cup in the Easter of 1909, defeating the mighty Juventus in the final. The cup itself was stolen in 1994 and a replica now resides in West Auckland working mens' club.
External links
- Auckland Castle (http://www.auckland-castle.co.uk)
- Binchester Roman Fort (http://www.durham.gov.uk/binchester)
- Bishop Auckland FC (Unofficial) (http://www.bishopafc.com)
- Bishop Auckland Town Website (http://www.bishopaucklandtown.org)
- Bishop Auckland Town Hall (http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/vstatic/bathfront02)
- Bishop Auckland History (http://www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk/BishopAuckland.htm)
- Durham County Council (http://www.durham.gov.uk)
- Escomb Saxon Church (http://www.escombsaxonchurch.com/)
- Wear Valley District Council (http://www.wearvalley.gov.uk)