On October 3rd, Lee Brownson and Chris Walkinshaw told members how their town of Bishop Auckland was steeped in history. Auckland castle dates back 2000 years, and significant years were 1031, when King Canute gave the land to the Bishop of Lindisfarne, and 1072 when King William I put down a local uprising and installed a Norman Bishop of Durham, made the Earl of Northumberland.
These ‘Prince Bishops’ became the most powerful and wealthy land-owners in the country, until their powers were removed in 1832. In 2011 the last Bishop of Durham moved out of the Castle.
The local Civic Society with massive financial support from a local-born benefactor purchased both castle and contents, and started a massive project aiming to regenerate Bishop Auckland by creating a world-class visitor destination centred on Kynren, an open air show run by 1000 local volunteers, which told an epic tale of the history of England. The town has just held its 3rd Kynren season, and hopes to attract 400,000 visitors to the town, castle and show next year.