Historic Treasures and Epic Shows: Summer in Bishop Auckland

By Blog Squad member - Alex Burgess-Lawson 

Considering it’s just down the road from where I live, I’ve actually only been to Bishop Auckland for their food festival. The market town, known as the gateway to the Durham Dales, is a thriving cultural hub full of rich history with so many attractions that tell the story of years gone by. My husband, Adam and I were excited to head along for a sunny day exploring the town and it’s treasures.

The Auckland Project

Building on the history that the town has to offer, The Auckland Project is a regeneration charity working to make Bishop Auckland a must-visit cultural destination. There are several attractions in the town centre, including Auckland Palace and its surrounding gardens.

For nearly 1,000 years, Auckland Palace was seat of the Prince Bishops of Durham. who through power and faith, helped shape the country that we live in today. The castle reopened in 2019 following major conservation work and now gives visitors a chance to wander through different moments in time, right up to present day, room by room.

We started our visit with a cuppa and a spot of lunch in the Bishops Kitchen inside the palace. In the 1500’s, this kitchen was at the heart of the complex. Staff prepared feasts using game from the castle's Deer Park and produce from the gardens. Nowadays, they use fruit and vegetables grown in the Walled Garden in their dishes, and local produce wherever they can. Adam went for the Hand Crafted Palace Sausage Roll, and I opted for the Vegan Feta & Pasta Salad, both of which were delicious.

There are three new gardens to visit this summer; Wilderness Garden, Faith Garden and Walled Garden.

We followed our lunch up by wandering around the Wilderness Garden. Here you can walk through the wild and untamed nature as birds fly around you. We were surrounded by long grass and beautiful wild flowers, and we even spotted some change in colour of the leaves too. Take a moment to sit here and soak up the stunning views of the Durham Dales.

Next up was the Faith Garden.

The Faith Garden’s design echoes the footprint of the vast medieval chapel which was blown up in the aftermath of the English Civil Wars and is now buried underneath. It was a beautiful, tranquil area of the gardens and a place for reflection and contemplation. We sat here for quite a while taking it all in.

We left what I think was best ‘til last on our visit - the Walled Garden.

Entering the Walled Garden is like entering a whole new world. The stunning 17th-century garden has recently been restored and has a huge amount of beautiful wild flowers, fruit and vegetables growing inside of it. We took our time to walk up and down every section, seeing what was growing and watching the bees and butterflies fly around us. It was so wonderful to see the insects thriving here. One of the staff members we spoke to in the castle said he thinks that all of the butterflies in Bishop Auckland live in the castle gardens and I think he might have been right!

From broad beans to blackberries, lemons to leeks - there is such a wide range of fruit and vegetables growing in the gardens. A huge greenhouse also sits in the Walled Garden which you can wander through and see the mass amount of tomatoes growing in there. Produce from the gardens is also used in El Castillo, which is where we visited next for an early dinner.

El Castillo 

El Castillo is The Auckland Project’s tapas restaurant based in the heart of the Market Place, next door to the Spanish Gallery. The restaurant offers a delicious taste of Spain whilst using local, fresh produce - most of which is grown in the Castle Gardens. I had a deliciously fresh Walled Garden Spritz - a tasty mocktail made with fruit from the, you guessed it, Walled Garden! Adam and I ordered a number of small plates to sample from black pudding to chicken kebab, calamari to spanish tortilla. Our favourite though, the crispy belly pork with harissa aioli.

Staff were so helpful and the food was delicious, I already can’t wait to visit again!

The Auckland Project attractions are usually open 10.30am - 4pm, Wednesday - Sunday (and Bank Holiday Mondays) but check their website for up to date times.

Kynren - An Epic Tale of England

We finished our day with an exciting trip to Kynren! Adam and I have wanted to do this for so long so we were over the moon to be heading along.

Kynren - An Epic Tale of England, is an outdoor show that takes place in Bishop Auckland every summer from July to September. It takes you on a unique, mesmerising journey through 2,000 years of history, myth and legend from Boudicca’s battle with the Romans, to two World Wars.

Seamless transitions between each scene keeps viewers on the edge of their seats and the 90-minutes go by in a flash! The production as a whole - sound, lighting, special effects, pyrotechnics - is first-class, the actors (and animals!) are excellent and the show is truly spectacular. I laughed, I cried and I was in awe throughout.

New for 2024 is the pre-show entertainment of the Viking Village! Take a step back in time and see what Viking life was like as you visit the cookhouse where meals are being prepared, see the blacksmiths at work in the forge and watch the Vikings prepare for their epic battle. You can also meet the animals of the village including donkeys, sheep, chickens and horses!

The interactive walk-through experience is a great way to start your evening at Kynren, so I’d definitely recommend leaving enough time before the show starts as it does tend to get quite busy - it’s not to be missed! You can even grab some photos with the viking warriors, or dress as one yourself for a snap. It’s so much fun. The Viking Village experience is also included in your entry ticket.

Kynren is on each Saturday with the final show for 2024 being the 14 September. Tickets are limited but still available so check out their website to book now.

Overall we had such a special day in Bishop Auckland taking in the beautiful views of the gardens, eating delicious meals that used local produce, and learning all about the town’s history. Whether you’re interested in nature, good food or the history of Britain, Bishop Auckland has something for everyone and really is a must-visit cultural destination. We can’t wait to visit again!

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