Durham Museum (previously Durham Museum and Heritage Centre) was a museum in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

, England. It detailed the history of the City of Durham from medieval times to the present day. The museum was located in the

redundant church A redundant church, now referred to as a closed church, is a church building that is no longer used for Christian worship. The term most frequently refers to former Anglican churches in the United Kingdom, but may also be used for disused churche ...

of St Mary-le-Bow, close to the World Heritage Site of

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

and

Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...

, which is bounded on the north and east by

Hatfield College Hatfield College is one of the constituent colleges of Durham University in England. It occupies a city centre site above the River Wear on the World Heritage Site peninsula, lying adjacent to North Bailey and only a short distance from Durha ...

; on the south by Bow Lane, and the west by North Bailey. The costs of maintaining the building forced the museum's closure in 2024. The museum was mainly run by volunteers. The museum contained a variety of objects, models, pictures and audio-visual displays. These exhibitions provided the visitor with an overview of life, labour and leisure in this ancient fortified city, centre of pilgrimage and capital of the Prince Bishops of Durham. Many of the museum's displays involved the industry and trade that Durham is known for, including the manufacture of

organs In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...

, which still continues. As well as these permanent displays, there were also periodic exhibitions and events that highlighted the lesser known aspects of Durham's social history. The museum also featured a centre for making

brass rubbing Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. It ...

s as well as a souvenir shop.

History

The church was rebuilt in the 1670s to replace a church on the same site which collapsed in 1632, incorporating earlier material. The church is a reconstruction of an older building, so it contains elements from different dates. The roof is fifteenth-century and the panelling is eighteenth-century. During the middle ages, an arch connected the tower to the fortifications, which created a 'bow'. However, this later collapsed in 1635. The building lay in ruins until 1685, although efforts were made to preserve the building by the parishioners. The rebuilding only began thanks to the help from the Bishop of Durham, as well as the Dean and Chapter of

. The present tower dates from 1702, and now contains a bell cast by Dalton of York in 1759. The church boasts intricate wood carvings. The altar rails and wood screen are very historic, dating from 1705 and 1707 respectively. In 1731, the wainscoting was installed. Ten years later, in 1741, the west gallery and vestry were built. However, after a closure in 1968, many of the fittings were removed. Although much of the building has origins from medieval times, much of the present building is from the seventeenth century. The church closed in 1968 and the museum opened in 1972, running until 2024.

The Bow Trust

Established in 1975, the Bow Trust (Durham) Limited is a registered charity (number 513865). The charity was created to maintain the now redundant church of St Mary-Le-Bow, with the goal of turning it into a centre for upholding the history and culture of both the city and county Durham. This culminated in the establishment of Durham Museum which the trust ran in the old church building.

Sculptures by Fenwick Lawson

Fenwick Lawson is a local sculptor who has contributed three works of art to Durham Museum, the first being 'Cuthbert of Farne' which he sculpted in 1984 and donated to the museum in 2004. (A bronze cast of this is on display at

Lindisfarne abbey Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

.) ''Gaia'' (1984), named after the goddess, was presented to the museum in 2011. His latest donation to the museum depicts the biblical story of

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

wrestling with an angel.

References

External links

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Museums in Durham, England History museums in County Durham Local museums in Durham, England History of Durham, England Former churches in County Durham Churches in Durham, England {{UK-museum-stub