The Archaeologic Investigation of the Bishop’s palace

Presented by John Castling.

John Castling of Durham University will talk about the archaeological work at Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, part of the Auckland Project.

Excavations have revealed palace walls, towers, and gatehouses built by the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham. They have also uncovered a two-storey chapel from around 1300 built by Bishop Bek, and a 17th-century mansion built by Sir Arthur Haselrig, featured on BBC Two’s Digging for Britain.

Across the site, archaeologists have recovered thousands of objects. These range from everyday pottery and building materials to rare finds such as whale baleen, an elephant ivory gold-and-silver-handled knife – described by Prof Alice Roberts on Digging for Britain as “one of the most beautiful objects I’ve ever seen [which] speaks to the riches of those medieval bishops” – intricate wine glasses, and a fortune-telling jet dice. All these finds point to Auckland Palace’s wealth, power, and international connections.