Out and About

When visiting Auckland Castle why not visit some of the other exciting things to see and do in the area:

Escombe Church
Binchester Roman Fort
Brick Train Sculpture
Harperley POW Camp
Locomotion

For more ideas go to www.visitcountydurham.com

Escombe Church
This fascinating Church is well worth making part of your day out. It is England's earliest complete church, having been built about 675 A.D. Much of the stone came from the nearby Roman Fort at Binchester, and there are Roman markings on some of the stone work, in at least one case upside down, as the Saxon builders cared little for the stone's original purpose.

Inside, the chancel arch is thought to have been taken intact from Binchester, and is noted for its slim lines.

For more information you can visit Escombe Saxon Church

Binchester Roman Fort
Once the largest Roman fort in County Durham, the heart of the site has been carefully excavated and displayed so that you can enjoy it to the full. Known to the Romans as Vinovia, Binchester fort was built about AD 80 - one of a chain of forts along Dere Street, the main Roman highway from York to Corbridge and Scotland.

Today you can follow in the footsteps of Roman legionaries and walk alongside the original cobbled surface of Dere Street. 

For more information you can visit Binchester Roman Fort

Brick Train Sculpture
To celebrate the rich railway heritage of Darlington, this sculpture was commissioned and created in 1997 by David Mach. Comprising over 181,000 bricks, the sculpture is a mockup of the famous 'Mallard' locomotive and lies only 1000 yards from the track bed of the world's first railway line which ran from Stockton to Darlington.

Visitors can park at the Morrisons Morton Park shopping area and walk along special footpaths to reach the sculpture. Once there, the adventurous can climb to the platform overlooking the train from above.

For more information visit Brick Train Sculpture

Harperley POW Camp
Harperley POW Camp, a Second World War prisoner-of-war camp became the first to be given Scheduled Monument status by English Heritage. The same listing as Hadrians Wall or Stonehenge.

Eighty-five per cent of Harperley camp in Weardale, Co Durham, which housed up to 1,400 German prisoners, remains intact. One of the standard huts was used as a theatre with a stage, orchestra pit, prompt box and tiered seating for the audience.

For more information please visit Harperley POW Camp

Locomotion
The development combines the refurbished buildings of the former Timothy Hackworth Museum and also bring back into use two further buildings of historical importance in Shildon's railway heritage.

Shildon is one of the world's oldest railway towns. The new museum gives recognition to the significance of Shildon in railway history and of railways to the Shildon community. There is a level of community involvement in the museum and in its operation.

For further information log on to Locomotion