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Durham

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                   Durham

   Image:dot4gb.svg
                 Statistics
   Population:          42,939 (2001)
              Ordnance Survey
   OS grid reference:   NZ274424
               Administration
   District:            City of Durham
   Shire county:        Durham
   Region:              North East England
   Constituent country: England
   Sovereign state:     United Kingdom
                   Other
   Ceremonial county:   Durham
   Historic county:     Durham
                  Services
   Police force:        County Durham
   Fire and rescue:     {{{Fire}}}
   Ambulance:           North East
         Post office and telephone
   Post town:           DURHAM
   Postal district:     DH1
   Dialling code:       0191
                  Politics
   UK Parliament:       City of Durham
   European Parliament: North East England

   Durham ( IPA: [ˈdɜɺəm] locally, [ˈdʌɹəm] in RP) is a small city and
   main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham in
   North East England. It is well known for its Norman Cathedral and
   Castle, and is home to Durham University. HM Prison Durham is also
   located close to the city centre. Prior to 1974 the city was sometimes
   known as Durham and Framwelgate.

Economy

   This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of County Durham
   at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National
   Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
   Year Regional Gross Value Added Agriculture Industry Services
   1995 4,063                      47          1,755    2,261
   2000 4,783                      40          1,840    2,904
   2003 5,314                      39          1,978    3,297
    1. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
    2. ^ includes hunting and forestry
    3. ^ includes energy and construction
    4. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

Geography

   Durham Castle and Cathedral
   Enlarge
   Durham Castle and Cathedral
   Durham Market Place
   Enlarge
   Durham Market Place
   South Bailey, including parts of St John's College and St Cuthbert's
   Society
   Enlarge
   South Bailey, including parts of St John's College and St Cuthbert's
   Society
   Elvet Bridge towards Old Elvet
   Enlarge
   Elvet Bridge towards Old Elvet
   A bustling Silver Street
   Enlarge
   A bustling Silver Street
   Durham City and Cathedral from the railway viaduct
   Enlarge
   Durham City and Cathedral from the railway viaduct
   Durham's traditional flag
   Enlarge
   Durham's traditional flag

   Durham is situated 13 miles (21 km) to the south west of Sunderland, in
   North East England. The River Wear flows north through the city,
   enclosing the centre on three sides to create Durham's "peninsula".
   Durham is a hilly city, claiming to be built upon the symbolic seven
   hills. Upon the most central and prominent position high above the
   Wear, the cathedral dominates the skyline. The steep riverbanks are
   densely wooded, adding to the picturesque beauty of the city. West of
   the city centre, another river, the River Browney, drains south to join
   the Wear to the south of the city.

   Durham won the Large Town award in the Britain in Bloom awards of 2005.

   The county town of County Durham, Durham is located in the City of
   Durham local government district, which extends beyond the city, and
   has a total population of 87,656, and covers 186.68 square kilometres.
   The unparished area of Durham had a population of 29,091, whilst the
   built-up area of Durham had a population of 42,939.

   Durham's MP is Roberta Blackman-Woods ( Labour).

Transport

   Durham railway station is situated on the East Coast Main Line between
   Edinburgh and London; rail travellers coming from the south enter
   Durham over a spectacular Victorian viaduct high above the city. By
   road, the A1(M), the modern incarnation of the ancient Great North
   Road, passes just to the east of the city. (Its previous incarnation,
   now numbered A167, passes just to the west.) Newcastle Airport lies to
   the north, and Durham Tees Valley Airport to the south, both being
   approximately 25 miles away. The Market Place and peninsula form the
   UK's first (albeit small) congestion charging area, introduced in 2002.

Districts of Durham

   The centre of Durham sits on a peninsula created by the River Wear. At
   the base of the peninsula is the market square, which still hosts
   regular markets; a permanent indoor market is also situated on the
   square. The square and surrounding streets are one of the main
   commercial and shopping areas of the city. From the market square, The
   Bailey leads south past Palace Green: The Bailey is almost entirely
   owned and occupied by the University and Cathedral.

   There are three old road bridges leading onto the peninsula, now all
   pedestrianised. Prebends Bridge is at the Southern tip of the Bailey.
   Heading east from the square, Elvet Bridge leads to the Elvet area of
   the city. Heading west, Milburngate Bridge leads to the Milburngate
   district, Crossgate and North Road, the other main shopping area of the
   city. West of here is an area colloquially known as "The Viaduct" after
   the structure which dominates, now largely student-populated. Beyond
   The Viaduct lies the outlying districts of Framwellgate Moor and
   Neville's Cross. Heading north from the market place leads to Claypath.
   The road curves back round to the East and beyond it lies Gilesgate and
   Gilesgate Moor.

History

   A map of the city from 1610
   Enlarge
   A map of the city from 1610

   Archeological evidence suggests a history of settlement at Durham since
   roughly 2000 BC. The present city can clearly be traced back to 995 AD,
   when a group of monks from Lindisfarne chose the strategic high
   peninsula as a place to settle with the body of Saint Cuthbert, that
   had previously lain in Chester-le-Street, founding a church there. The
   present Durham Cathedral was built from 1093, and still contains the
   remains of St Cuthbert as well as The Venerable Bede. It is regarded by
   many - such as travel writer Bill Bryson - as the finest cathedral in
   the world .

   Facing the cathedral across Palace Green is Durham Castle, originally
   built by the Normans from 1071, on William the Conqueror's return from
   campaigning in Scotland. Some of the present structure is more recent,
   notably Anthony Salvin's Victorian restorations. The two buildings are
   jointly designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site- one of the original
   nine in Britain. Since 1837 the castle has been home to University
   College, the first college of the University.

   In the three centuries following the construction of the Castle, Durham
   was regularly besieged by the Scots, with the notable Battle of
   Neville's Cross ( 1346) occurring just one mile west of the city.

   In medieval times Durham was a major centre of both political and
   ecclesiastical power, mainly due to its strategic importance near the
   border with Scotland. County Durham was a palatinate, ruled by
   Prince-Bishops who had secular authority and considerable autonomy from
   Westminster, minting their own coinage, dispensing their own justice
   and with the right to maintain their own armies. Every Bishop of Durham
   from 1071 to 1836 was a Prince Bishop except for the first
   Norman-appointed bishop Walcher, who was an Earl-Bishop. (The term
   Prince Bishop, while a useful one, is not one which the Durham Bishops
   themselves would have recognised.) Henry VIII curtailed some of the
   Prince-Bishop's powers, and smashed the shrine of Cuthbert in 1538.
   Finally, the public climate surrounding the Great Reform Act of 1832
   removed the Bishop's extraordinary powers.

   In 1832 the University of Durham was founded, which has several
   buildings on the peninsula and on Elvet Hill on the other side of the
   river. The 19th century also saw Durham grow as a centre of the coal
   mining industry. The first Durham Miners' Gala was held in 1871, and
   remains a popular annual event.

   The municipal borough was known as 'Durham and Framwelgate', until it
   was merged with Durham Rural District and Brandon and Byshottles urban
   district to form the City of Durham district.

Historic architecture

   Crown Court with Cathedral beyond
   Enlarge
   Crown Court with Cathedral beyond
   The Viaduct
   Enlarge
   The Viaduct
   Durham Castle from Palace Green
   Enlarge
   Durham Castle from Palace Green

   The whole of the centre of Durham is designated a conservation area.
   The conservation area was first designated on 9 August 1968, and was
   extended on 25 November 1980 . In addition to the Cathedral and Castle,
   Durham contains over 630 listed buildings , 569 of which are located
   within the city centre conservation area. Particularly notable
   properties include:

Grade I

     * Chorister School
     * Crook Hall
     * Elvet Bridge
     * Framwellgate Bridge
     * Kepier Hospital
     * Kingsgate Bridge
     * Prebends Bridge
     * St Giles Church, Gilesgate
     * Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Crossgate
     * Church of St Mary-le-Bow (now Durham Heritage Centre)

Grade II*

     * Aykley Heads House (now Bistro 21)
     * Bishop Cosin's Hall, Palace Green
     * Cosin's Library (now part of University Library, Palace Green)
     * Crown Court, Old Elvet
     * St Cuthbert's Society, 12 South Bailey
     * St John's College, 3 South Bailey
     * St Oswald's Church
     * Railway viaduct, North Road
     * Town Hall and Guildhall, Market Place

Famous residents

     * Barnabe Barnes Elizabethan poet
     * Tony Blair Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-present)
     * Edward Bradley Novelist ('Cuthbert Bede')
     * Count Joseph Boruwlaski Celebrated dwarf
     * George Camsell International footballer
     * John Bacchus Dykes Hymnologist
     * John Meade Falkner Arms manufacturer and novelist (Moonfleet)
     * Godric of Finchale Hermit and popular medieval saint
     * Dora Greenwell Poet
     * Josh Clarke Writer
     * Canon William Greenwell Antiquary
     * John Gully Pugilist
     * Steve Harmison English cricketer
     * Gareth Archer English rugby player
     * Paul Collingwood English cricketer
     * Ian Hay Novelist
     * Lorna Hill Author of the 'Wells' ballet books
     * Violet Hunt Novelist and 'new woman'
     * Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad Philosopher and radio broadcaster
     * Lawrence of Durham Poet
     * William Pearson Watercolorist, Topographer
     * 50 Pence International Comedy Rapper
     * Anna Maria Porter Novelist
     * Jane Porter Novelist
     * Michael Ramsey, the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury
     * Reginald of Durham Hagiographer
     * Simeon of Durham Historian
     * Christopher Smart Poet
     * Joseph Spence Literary memoirist
     * Anne Stevenson Poet
     * Robert Surtees Historian and antiquarian
     * Hugh Walpole Novelist
     * Walter of Durham 13th century painter
     * Sir Arnold Wolfendale Astronomer Royal

Town twinning

     * Slovakia Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
     * United States Durham, North Carolina
     * Germany Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg

Sister Cities

     * United States Durham, NC
     * Russia Kostroma, Russia
     * Japan Toyama, Japan

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
