The Auckland Castle Trust has received initial support of £1million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards a £17million project to transform Auckland Castle into a major heritage site and visitor destination.
A first-round pass with development funding of £1million means that the Trust moves one step closer to securing a delivery grant of an additional £9million from the HLF at a later date, to redevelop the 800 year-old Bishop’s Palace.
The Auckland Castle project will transform the largely unknown private dwelling, now under the ownership of the Auckland Castle Trust after being saved by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer last July, into a major heritage site and visitor destination of regional, national and international significance, attracting around 120,000 visitors in five years time.
The initial funds will secure the development phase of the scheme, which will involve the appointment of key personnel, further research into the site, and the procurement of an architectural team to deliver the project.
The full scope of the project will involve the restoration of the castle’s state rooms and chapel and the remodelling and extension of the Scotland Wing and other parts of the site, to ensure it is capable of sustaining two permanent exhibitions of international stature, and to provide facilities for visitors.
Explaining the importance of the HLF support, Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, said, “Auckland Castle is one of County Durham’s most distinctive landmarks with over 800-years-worth of history to showcase. We look forward to working closely together as proposals develop further.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
