Durham Cathedral

Today we took the train to Durham to see the cathedral which is the best example of Norman architecture in England. The cathedral was built to house the remains of Saint Cuthbert and has a shrine to the saint on the other side of the quire. St. Cuthbert was an early leader of the Christian church as is the patron saint of northern England.

The churches and cathedrals that we've seen so far have mostly been Gothic so I was stopped in my tracks when we walked into Durham Cathedral. I was expecting something light and airy but it was dark inside and very different. The columns, instead of being plain, were decorated with chevrons and zigzags and the arches were rounded. Gothic arches are pointed as in York Minster. The nave was built between 1093 and 1133. I would dearly love to show you pictures but unfortunately photography isn't allowed. I didn't realize that you could write ahead and get special permission, otherwise I would have done. After walking around the cathedral I began to take in the differences in architecture and really appreciate them. Durham Cathedral may be my favorite church that I've seen so far in this trip and our last trip to England.

As you know, we cannot turn down a tower tour. This tower was an exhilarating, bun-busting climb of 325 spiral steps. I did use Tommy's iphone to take an illegal picture of the steps...

Durham Cathedral has the highest bell tower in Europe - 218 feet high! The view from the top was amazing and very cold. The cathedral is surrounded on three sides by the river which makes a very picturesque setting. Here are some photos of the outside of the cathedral.

This is a replica of the original 12th century door knocker that criminals used when seeking sanctuary. 

If you are interested I would encourage you to google Durham Cathedral and look at the pictures to see the differences in architecture. It's really quite stunning. 

On a completely unrelated note, I love train stations and York has a cool one.

York Railway Station

I want to show you the clock but the internet is being really slow so I'll save that for another day.

 Hope you have a good day!