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Auckland Castle’s £10m Walled Garden regeneration plan given green light

The Auckland Castle Trust will proceed to rejuvenate the Castle’s 17th Century Walled Garden, after its £10m redevelopment scheme received planning permission from Durham County Council.

Formerly the private domain of the Bishops of Durham, the Walled Garden is set to transform from a decaying space into what is hoped to be a showpiece of contemporary horticultural design.

At the heart of the project is a series of futuristic freeform glass and steel structures in the shape of giant bubbles that will house a restaurant, cafes, event areas and exotic fruit trees.

The design is the work of multi-award winning Japanese architectural firm SANAA, responsible for creating London’s Serpentine Pavilion, the Christian Dior building in Omotesando, Tokyo, the Louvre-Lens Museum in France, and the Rolex Learning Centre at EPFL in Lausanne.

David Ronn, Managing Director of the Auckland Castle Trust, said: “To have secured the services of such a high calibre architectural practice as SANAA is a feather not only in Auckland Castle’s cap, but that of Bishop Auckland and the North East.

“SANAA has been responsible for designing some of the most outstanding trophy buildings of recent times, and their involvement with this project says much about the scope and ambition of what we are aiming to achieve here at Auckland Castle.

“With this design, they have created something very special which will cement Auckland Castle and Bishop Auckland’s reputation as a centre of creativity and excellence.”

Work will start in mid-September with a grand opening planned for 2017.

The remainder of the 2.5 acre site which is bordered by the River Gaunless, will be remodelled with a new path layout, replanting of the terracing and reinstatement and repair of the Bishops’ Stairs.

David continued: “We wanted something that would help us stand apart and positively contribute to the transformation of Bishop Auckland into a place of international architectural, cultural and recreational renown.

“While an expression of contemporary culture, the design is a showpiece that complements and enhances the historic setting within which it sits. The Walled Garden has been redeveloped over the centuries as a series of innovative gestures by the Bishops of Durham.

“In time these have become integrated into the garden’s historic fabric, as we believe this proposal also will, to become, alongside the deer house in the park, a striking landmark in the landscape of the Auckland Castle complex.

“The Auckland Castle story spans 1,000 years, from its humble beginnings as the country retreat of the Bishops of Durham, through to a feudal stronghold for the Prince Bishops, and a transformation into a vast religious institution.

“Now with the planned £60m programme of conservation and development of Auckland Castle, of which the Walled Garden is an integral part, we are witnessing the first steps in this extraordinary episcopal complex’s renewed regeneration.”