Venue

Auckland Castle

History of the Castle

Eight hundred years ago the See of Durham, the most powerful Diocese in the north, established Auckland Castle as a hunting lodge for the Prince Bishop. Then virtually monarchs in their own kingdom, the Prince Bishops held military, economic and political power in addition to their ecclesiastical authority.

Auckland Castle, placed above the Rivers Wear and Gaunless and some ten miles south west of Durham, was no mere country residence. The town that grew up around the castle took its name from the resident of the castle. Over hundreds of years the castle was expanded until it became the official residence of the Bishop in 1832.

Auckland Castle’s state rooms have been sensitively restored and are the personification of elegance. The throne room is adorned with portraits of Prince Bishops through the centuries, complete with the original bishop’s throne, and an outstanding view of the grounds. The adjoining long dining room, houses a famous collection of paintings by Francisco de Zurbaran.
The 13 Zurbarán paintings hang in the long dining room, each painting standing eight feet tall. They are the work of a contemporary of Valázques and El Greco, Spanish artist, Francisco de Zurburán.

Painted between 1640 and 1645, they are of patriarchs, Jacob and his 12 sons. The 12th son, ‘Benjamin', is not in fact the work of de Zurburán, but that of Arthur Pond, an 18th century artist, copyist and art critic.

It was Bishop Trevor who in 1756 acquired this now priceless collection for £124, after a history which probably took them to South America before eventually coming to England.