Old Durham is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

in County Durham, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is situated approximately 1 mile east of central

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

and south of

Gilesgate Gilesgate is a place in County Durham, England. It is situated east of the centre of Durham. It is also a ward of Durham with a total population taken at the 2011 census was 8,074. Gilesgate was originally the main street in a settlement associat ...

The most northerly remains of a Romanised farmstead in the Roman Empire were excavated at Old Durham during 1940s. Old Durham's 17th-century gardens became a popular attraction, which led to the opening of the Pineapple Inn to provide refreshments for local visitors. The gardens used to belong to a 17th-century mansion belonging to the Heath family which was demolished in the 18th century. In 1642 the marriage of John Tempest of the Isle (near

Bradbury, County Durham Bradbury is a village in County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England ...

) to Elizabeth Heath daughter and sole heiress of John Heath (1604–1664) brought the property to the Tempest family. Their son William Tempest, Member of Parliament for the City of Durham in 1678, 1680 and 1689 also resided here. The Tempests deserted Old Durham in favour of Sherburn and

Wynyard Wynyard may refer to: Australia: *Wynyard, Sydney, the district of Sydney CBD around Wynyard railway station, Sydney *Wynyard Park, Sydney *Wynyard, Tasmania *County of Wynyard, in the Murrumbidgee–Tumut region of New South Wales Canada: *Wynya ...

in 1742Brian Masters,Wyyard Hall and the Londonderry family (1973),p.9 and were ancestors of the Vane-Tempest-Stewarts, Earls Vane and Marquesses of Londonderry Old Durham was the site of a colliery with the Marquis of Londonderry's Lord Ernest pit opening in 1849. The remains of a railway embankment cut across the area, which featured two bridges, leading to the now-demolished Elvet Station at the end of the Durham Sunderland Line.

References

*Margot Johnson. "Old Durham and Old Durham Gardens" in ''Durham: Historic and University City and surrounding area''. Sixth Edition. Turnstone Ventures. 1992. . Pages 27 and 28. Also "Introduction", inside front cover. *I A Richmond, T Romans and R P Wright, "A Civilian Bathhouse of the Roman period at Old Durham",

Archaeologia Aeliana The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the oldest provincial antiquarian society in England, was founded in 1813. It is a registered charity under English law. It has had a long-standing interest in the archaeology of the north-east ...

, Fourth series, 22 (1944) 1–21. *J P Gillam and R P Wright, "Second Report on Roman Buildings at Old Durham", Archaeologia Aeliana, Fourth series, 29 (1951) 203–212. *J P Gillam and R P Wright, "Third Report on Roman Buildings at Old Durham", Archaeologia Aeliana, Fourth series, 31 (1953) 116–126.

External links

Durham Mining Museum entry on Old Durham Colliery

Durham City Council guide to Old Durham Gardens

Elvet Station
Villages in County Durham {{Durham-geo-stub