Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and Faith Museum named amongst best buildings in the UK

15th July 2024

Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and the Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, have been named amongst the UK’s best new buildings in this year’s RIBA National Awards.

The RIBA’s awards programme recognises the UK’s best new architecture and 26 winners have been selected for 2024, including Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and the Faith Museum, which together form a masterplan that was a competition winning joint entry between Purcell and Niall McLaughlin Architects. The building scheme, part of The Auckland Project, is the only winner to be selected from the North East of England.

The Auckland Project was founded by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer and comprises a series of urban and historic interventions that seek to preserve and celebrate Auckland Castle’s heritage, promote Bishop Auckland as a visitor destination and reinvigorate the town.

The Auckland Castle project, led by Purcell Architects, involved the conservation of the state apartments and domestic rooms, and the provision of new learning, catering, retail and visitor facilities. It sought to increase visitor engagement and bring to life the forgotten story of the Prince Bishops and their role in the nation’s past. Auckland Castle reopened to the public in 2019 and now welcomes thousands of visitors each year.

Auckland Tower, by Niall McLaughlin Architects, is located at the key nodal point between the historic Market Place and the entrance to Auckland Castle. Its form and construction are intended to echo lightweight provisional structures that would once have clustered around Castle walls and its elevated viewing platform allows people a view into the Castle grounds to understand this previously secluded world.

The new Faith Museum, also by Niall McLaughlin Architects, is an extension to Auckland Castle and takes the simple form of a barn and provides space for exhibition displays on faith in Britain. Careful stone detailing has been developed to project a public representation of a sacred function. The Faith Museum opened to the public in October 2023, and is the first museum in England to tell the story of faith in Britain.

Edward Perry, CEO of The Auckland Project, said: “We are delighted to see Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and the Faith Museum on the list of RIBA national award winners this year. The extraordinary vision for the project was born in 2012, and it has been wonderful to watch this vision become a reality in recent years. Congratulations to all those involved, including colleagues at The Auckland Project and the teams at Niall McLaughlin Architects and Purcell.’

Niall McLaughlin, Principal of Niall McLaughlin Architects, added: “We are delighted that the Auckland Tower, Faith Museum and Castle have been given an RIBA National Award. It is a privilege to share the award with Purcell, our long-term collaborators on the project.

“This award is for the buildings, not just the architects, it is a testament to the extraordinary vision of Jane and Jonathan Ruffer and all at the Auckland Project. It celebrates an innovative conservation project, new buildings, beautiful gardens, and an ambitious social engagement rooted in the client’s own faith. Congratulations to everybody involved in this work over the last decade.”

Auckland Castle, Auckland Tower and the Faith Museum have previously been awarded the RIBA North East Building of the Year and RIBA North East Conservation Award, and will now be considered for the prestigious Stirling Prize.