The Summer Meeting this year will be in Durham, the episcopal capital of the north-east of England. This is a long way from Wales but there are good train services to the city. The journey takes 5 hours from Bangor; 4 hours from Chester or Shrewsbury and 6 hours from Cardiff. You might like to combine it with a day or so in York.
Driving from north Wales takes about 4 hours and from south Wales it is about 5½ hours, both presume clear traffic!
We will be staying at the Marriott Royal County Hotel in central Durham (59 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3JN. Tel. 0191 386 6821). We have provisionally reserved 15 single and eight double rooms there so please book there as soon as you are sure of your attendance at the meeting. Single Rooms are £118 per night and Double £128. Evening meal is £35.
The north-east of England has a very important history and we are planning to see many of the most important sites. The eastern end of Hadrian’s Wall has a number of classic sites which we will visit during the week. Some of these forts have been known for a long time and have established our view of the Roman army, and others, such as Vindolanda, have given us an unexpectedly personal view of the life of the soldiers.
The area is also significant in the history of Christianity in England, and we plan to visit both Lindisfarne and Jarrow. David Petts will show us his recent excavations at the monastery of Lindisfarne where we will also visit the later castle and Berwick upon Tweed, at the border of Scotland and England. Jarrow sits at the earlier border between the Romans and the Picts, now marked by Newcastle, which we will skirt around in search of Bede, Britain’s first historian.
The Prince Bishop of Durham had a notable base at Bishop’s Auckland from which to control the defence of the north of England. His castle had deteriorated in modern times but, after it was bought by a foreign millionaire with big ideas, the town has become a vibrant centre of art and religion! We will be able to visit the Museum of Religion and several art galleries – as well as picking up a small Roman fort on the way.
We have not forgotten Durham itself. Our first day will be spent in the city, visiting first the magnificent Cathedral and then the castle and its adjacent buildings and museums. We will also walk around the historic town outside the central peninsula.
Francis Pritchard, our longstanding member who made the initial invitation to the Cambrians, has offered to act as a taxi for members who may be finding the walking a bit onerous this day.
On our final Sunday it is thought that some might like to attend the services in the Cathedral and listen to its famous choir in the morning. In the afternoon we plan to visit the social/industrial museum at Beamish, very like the museum at Ironbridge, which members enjoyed a few years ago.
PROGRAMME
On our first day, July 14th, we will certainly be exploring Durham City but the sequence of our visits during the week has not yet been selected because we will be guided by members of Durham University with professional involvement with various periods, and their timetables are not yet fixed. We will certainly be going to Lindisfarne, to Jarrow, to Hadrian’s Wall and Hexham and to Bishops Auckland and its art galleries. On the final Sunday we will visit Beamish Museum.
Lectures, including the Presidential Address, will be at the Marriott Hotel before the evening meal.
Enquiries to be sent to Fiona Gale fionaegale@hotmail.co.uk