Coordinates: 54°46′28″N 1°34′33″W / 54.77444°N 1.57583°W
| Durham Castle and Cathedral* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 |
|
| State Party |  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 370 |
| Region** | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1986 (10th Session) |
| Extensions | 2008 |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Palace Green is a small area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Although initially not part of the site itself, Palace Green was added to the UNESCO site in 2008.[1][2]
It is situated on top of the narrow, high peninsula formed by a sharp bend in the River Wear. The Cathedral is on the southern side, facing the Castle across the Green on the north side. To the east are Durham University buildings including the law, theology and history departments, with the music department and a small branch of the library to the west.
From the north and east Palace Green is accessed by two cobbled streets called Owengate (formerly Queen Street) and Dun Cow Lane, the latter taking its name from a local legend involving a milkmaid and her cow. From the west a passageway, 'Windy Gap', leads down to the banks of the River Wear between two buildings which are now part of the university Music School. Early in the twentieth century one of the buildings had been the home on novelist J. Meade Falkner, author of Moonfleet.
In summer, Palace Green is sometimes used by students of Durham University as a croquet lawn on permission from the groundsman of University College Durham.
'Palace Green' is also the name of a hymn tune written by Michael Fleming (1928-2006) while a music student at the university, for the hymn 'Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above'.[3]
Buildings situated on Palace Green
Listed clockwise:
- Durham Cathedral
- Durham University School of Music (main premises)
- Durham University School of Music (audiosuite and experimental office)
- Palace Green Library (Houses Music & Law resources)
- University College, Durham ("Castle")
- The Master's House (of University College)
- Moneyer's Garth (Formerly Castle accommodation now University Stonemasons HQ)
- Bailey Court (Castle accommodation)
- Cosin's Hall (Former college, then Castle accommodation, university offices since October 2006)
- The Almshouses (now a cafeteria)
- The Pemberton Rooms (the Durham Union Society)
- Abbey House, Durham University School of Theology
References
- ^ "UNESCO World Heritage Convention - Evaluations of Cultural Properties, pp101". http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2008/whc08-32com-inf8B1ADDe.pdf.
- ^ "Durham’s World Heritage Site expands". 2008-09-20. http://www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=6941&rehref=%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F&resubj=%20Headlines. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
- ^ "Michael Fleming". Church Times. 2006-02-24. http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=14869. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
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