Durham Cathedral's central tower reopens

8th May 2019

It won’t be long before the skyline of Durham City is restored to its former glory, as the conservation work on Durham Cathedral’s central tower draws to a close and the tower will once again be open to the public from 1 June. 

The reopening, will mean that visitors will once again be able to take on the challenging 325 step climb to take in the unrivalled views of Durham City and beyond for the first time in over three years.

It is only from this height that the beautiful dapple effect of the new sandstone merging with the old can be fully appreciated. 

Scott Richardson, Clerk of Works at Durham Cathedral said: ‘I am thrilled that the belfry project is nearing completion. Not only have the upper levels undergone significant renovation to ensure they are structurally sound for continued public use, but the skillset of the cathedral’s in-house masonry team has been dramatically expanded due to the demanding nature of the work.'

The removal of the scaffolding on the central tower is almost complete, though the hoist lift will remain in place a little longer, allowing finishing touches to roofing work, and the construction of a new viewing platform.

Chris Cotton, of Purcell, Durham Cathedral’s Conservation Architect said: ‘The work in itself has been challenging, involving stone renewal and restoration to both the exterior and interior of the tower.  The iron railings which were installed during the Victorian era have been replaced with new bronze railings. These have been fixed using the medieval technique of hot poured lead which minimalises mortar erosion.  The cathedral stone masons have done a fabulous job with acute attention to detail and it has been a pleasure working with them.’