Visitors to Durham’s UNESCO World Heritage Site are invited to join celebrations for World Heritage Day this Saturday 18 April, with this year’s theme being ‘Living Heritage’. Organised by Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site Partnership and County Durham Forum for History and Heritage (CDFHH) the event will bring the history of Durham to life, combining entertainment with discovery to appeal to all visitors of all ages
Durham Castle is hosting ‘The People’s Story’ with a Heritage Fair and family activities in the Great Hall, showcasing local history societies, including the World Heritage Site Youth Ambassadors.
After a formal welcomer by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Durham the Castle opens at 11am with last entry at 3:15pm. Visitors can enjoy free entry and self-guided tours of parts of the Castle including the Tunstall Chapel, Tunstall Gallery, the Norman Chapel and Senate Room, where a medieval wall painting was recently discovered.
The Norman Knights of Vanguard re-enactment group will be in action in the Castle courtyard, demonstrating their swordsmanship.
Palace Green Library, the Museum of Archaeology and World Heritage Site Visitor Centre will also be open for visitors to explore.
The day’s events begin at 10am with a tour of St Margaret’s Allotments off South Street, the quarry site from which the stone for the Castle and Cathedral was taken.
A series of talks and presentations will be taking place throughout the day in the Bishop’s Dining Room of the Castle, including a reflection on the 40th anniversary of Durham being awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Durham Cathedral and the Cathedral Museum will also be open from 10am – 4pm, with 30-minute talks from 11am, on “A Treasure and a Legacy: Conservation at Durham Cathedral”.
The day’s activities have been planned in response to feedback from recent public consultation. Focusing on opening the castle free of charge and co-creating an intergenerational people’s heritage programme, so everyone can experience the best of the World Heritage Site.
World Heritage Day will showcase members of County Durham Forum for History and Heritage (CDFHH) the umbrella organisation which brings together the many local history, heritage and archaeology societies across the area. Members give their time freely for the love of their local heritage.
From Beamish to Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre many of the groups welcome new members and are keen to recruit a new generation of young volunteers to continue helping to preserve local and global history.
World Heritage Day is a worldwide annual event, officially known as the International Day of Monuments and Sites, celebrated at UNESCO Sites across the world on 18 April each year. The day offers an opportunity to raise public awareness of the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability.
World Heritage Day in Durham involves the many organisations and people who manage or preserve Durham’s heritage. The aim is to raise public awareness of Durham’s diverse heritage, its people, their stories and traditions.
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