Selfies from the Soccer Pitch – Chris & Angela's travel blog

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne was a monk and bishop in the Kingdom of Northumbria (today part of Northern England and Southern Scotland). He died in 687 and became regarded as the patron saint of the region. Cuthbert was buried on the island of Lindisfarne, but over the ensuing years his enshrined remains were threatened by repeated Viking raids. In 995 the Lindisfarne monks, entrusted with the protection of the remains of St. Cuthbert, set out to find a safer location for their charge.

According to local legend, one of the monks received a vision from St. Cuthbert with instructions that his remains should be interred at a place called Dun Holm. Searching for this, the monks came across two milkmaids looking for a lost dun (a dull shade of brownish grey) cow. They followed the maids to the area where the wayward cow was last seen – a place called (you guessed it) Dun Holm or Durham. Here, on a promontory above a tight, looping bend in the River Wear, the coffin holding the saint’s remains became unmovable. Declaring a miracle, the monks built a shrine to St. Cuthbert on that spot.

The shrine became a popular pilgrimage destination, prompting construction of a monastery, chapels, a church and eventually an entire cathedral complex. The settlement around it grew, as well, becoming the city of Durham. Over the many centuries Durham Cathedral has been expanded and embellished making it the Norman/Romanesque, Gothic masterpiece it is today.

There was so much to see that we’ve included two photo galleries in this post! Enjoy!

View from the drive along the Palace Green

Near the Green, outside the cathedral, a mass grave of Scottish prisoners of war from 1650 was discovered

The main tower over the cathedral’s central crossing

The infamous Sanctuary Knocker

Those who had committed a great offense could rap the knocker, requesting sanctuary

Overseeing monks would take in the sanctuary seekers for 37 days while they tried to reconcile their offense

An altar in the Galilee Chapel

Modern stained glass portraying the saint’s protection of military airmen

Afternoon light shining through windows of the Galilee Chapel

Admiring the chapel’s details

The baptismal font and wooden cover at the end of the long nave

The highly decorative wooden font cover was built in 1663

It’s a lot to take in! And yes, Chris needs a haircut

Looking down the nave at the lighted art installation hung from the tower at the crossing

The installation, called Peace Doves, is comprised of 15,000 hand folded paper doves hung on strings

Looking back at the crossing from the choir

A highly decorated monument

The massive pipe organ spans both sides of the choir

Behind the choir

Beautiful colored light from the stained glass windows

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Looking back at the west towers from the cloisters

The cloisters along the south side of the cathedral

Above Angela’s head, there’s a small hole in a cloisters arch through which sunlight shines onto a sundial carved into the hallway floor

The headless statue of St. Cuthbert holding St. Oswald’s decapitated head (it’s a long story …)

The altar at the shrine of St. Cuthbert

Beautiful stained glass windows

Do the stars and stripes on Prior Washington’s family shield seem familiar? Yes, John Washington, the Prior of Durham Cathedral in the early 1400s, was the ancestor of George Washington, 1st American president

The cloisters hallway

Carving details in the cloisters hall ceiling

The Chapter House, off the cloisters, is where the monks of the monastery would gather to read chapters from the Rule of St. Benedict

Colorful windows in the Chapter House

It’s hard to read Latin

Western view from the roof of the central tower

Looking down over the cloisters from the tower roof

The northern view across the Palace Green

That’s a long way down

Another view over the cloisters, where fake Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret 😉

St. Nicholas’ Church, off of the Durham Market Place

Exploring the alleys around Durham Market Place

You may recognize some of the exterior of Alnwick Castle as being Hogwarts Castle from the first two Harry Potter films. In reality, it is a spread out installation of fortified stone buildings ranging across a low hilltop, and ringed by vast crenellated walls overlooking the River Aln. Sounds impressive, and it is!

Located near the Scottish border in the town of Alnwick, Northumberland, it was originally built in 1096 as a defensive fortification by the de Vesci family from Normandy. Over time (and many sieges) it was rebuilt, remodeled and expanded. In 1253 however, the castle with all of its considerable property and adjoining estates, were sold by the guardian of the (then under aged) de Vesci lord, to the Percy family from Yorkshire. During the ensuing centuries, the Percys became powerful lords in northern England. The castle was besieged many times, as the Percy family was intimately involved in royal politics. In the last few centuries the castle has been used as both a fortress and a home, but also as a prison, a school and a gallery/museum.

To this day the Percys still own the castle, and even live there during the winter months. During the summer months, the property is open to the public to tour some of the family’s opulent private living areas, as well as some of the fortified outer buildings and grounds. Unfortunately, taking photos of the interior, private living areas is strictly forbidden. We were able to take plenty of pictures of the exterior grounds though! Enjoy!