MP backs culture bid

An MP has called for Bishop Auckland to enter the race to become the UK’s first town of culture, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar. 

Sam Rushworth announced his support of the bid in the House of Commons and praised the County Durham town’s history for telling “the cultural story of Britain”.

The Town of Culture competition will be targeted at small and medium-sized towns, with shortlisted towns receiving £60,000 to help deliver their full bids for the competition. The winning town will win up to £3.5 million to deliver a cultural programme during the summer of 2028.

It follows in the footsteps of the UK City of Culture competition, which was won by Bradford in 2025. County Durham was a runner-up in the vote. 

Labour MP Sam Rushworth said: “Bishop Auckland is the town that gave birth to the calendar. It was Bede who stood on a local hillside, looked at the cosmos and wrote ‘The Reckoning of Time’, by which we decide when Easter is today. The North East is the cradle of Christianity in the UK. The Faith Museum, the only one of its kind globally, opened in Bishop Auckland in 2023 and tells the 6,000-year history of faith, including Christianity, in the UK. It is based at Auckland Palace, the home of the prince bishops of Durham, who were the most important men in the kingdom after the king at the time.

“The town forms part of the Camino Ingles, or English way, a route trodden by pilgrims since the Middle Ages. We have an Anglo-Saxon church, one of the oldest in the country, down the road. Following a community archaeological dig, the 14th-century ruins of Bek’s chapel were discovered outside the palace. The eponymous Bek served not only as bishop of Durham, but as patriarch of Jerusalem. The palace is also home to the famous Zurbarán paintings, ‘Jacob and his Twelve Sons’.”

Applications for the Town of Culture competition will be judged on the story of the town, the design for its cultural programme and its plans to deliver it.

Mr Rushworth added: “The connection between Bishop Auckland and Spanish art is perhaps best exemplified by the Spanish Gallery, where hon. Members will find the greatest collection of 17th-century Spanish art anywhere in the world outside Spain. It was opened by the now King, alongside Queen Letizia of Spain, in 2022. Bishop Auckland’s pedigree in the world of art does not stop there. Our town’s proud industrial heritage is on display at the Mining Art Gallery, showcasing work of local artists such as former mineworkers Tom McGuinness of Witton Park and Norman Cornish from nearby Spennymoor, two prevalent figures in British social realism. 

“The museum was founded by my constituent and neighbour Bob McManners to showcase his collection of art. The town also punches above its weight in the performing arts. Stanley Jefferson, of Laurel and Hardy fame, was educated at King James I grammar school, while his father managed the Eden theatre. Renowned classical composer Edward Elgar played ‘The Music Makers’ in 1913 at St Peter’s church, and dedicated it to his friend Nicholas Kilburn, the organist. Is it possible that the rousing English anthem ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ was also played for the first time in Bishop Auckland? Witton Park features the start of the Stockton and Darlington railway, the world’s first passenger railway, which celebrated its bicentenary last year. More than that, nearby West Auckland won the first World Cup. 

“It is suggested that the organisers had invited Woolwich Arsenal, but the initials WA meant the letter went to West Auckland—though we know it was really because they wanted North East grit. Picture the scene: people clubbing together to send their boys off to Turin, selling what they had and huddling round the radio to listen. What is more, the team went on to win the cup—not once, but twice. Jack Greenwell from Crook Town went on to manage Barcelona, and Bishop Auckland’s football team lent players to Manchester United after the Munich air disaster. 

“We also have the food festival, the Bishop Auckland heritage festival, and so much more. I have covered history, faith, industry, music, arts, food and sports; frankly, no town tells the cultural story of Britain like Bishop Auckland.”

Applications for Town of Culture 2028 will open shortly.

Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary, said: “For far too long, too many people have felt left out of our national story. These competitions are our chance to change that by shining a light on the places that have shaped our cultural life, but haven’t always had the recognition they deserve.

“Every place has a story worth telling, so I want to encourage towns across the UK to step forward and show us what makes them special.”

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You can read MP Sam Rushworth’s full speech below:

“I warmly welcome the opportunity for Bishop Auckland to bid to become the UK’s first Town of Culture, and the funding this would attract for transformative opportunities for people across our area.

“I believe we have a powerful case. 

“Bishop Auckland is the town that gave birth to the modern calendar. Our story begins in the 7th century, when the Venerable Saint Bede stood on the hillside near Binchester Roman Fort, observing the cosmos, and wrote The Reckoning of Time — the work by which the world still calculates the date of Easter today.

“Bishop Auckland sits at the heart of the medieval Kingdom of Northumbria, the cradle of Christianity in England. It lies on the Camino Inglés — ‘The English Way’ — walked by pilgrims since the Middle Ages. Nearby Escomb Church is among the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon churches in the country. Auckland Palace served for centuries as the home of the Prince Bishops of Durham, once the most powerful men in England after the King. Just outside the Palace, a community-led archaeological dig uncovered the 14th-century ruins of Bek’s Chapel, named after Bishop Antony Bek — not only Bishop of Durham, but also Patriarch of Jerusalem.

“This extraordinary heritage lives on today. The Faith Museum, opened at Auckland Palace in 2023, tells a 6,000-year story of local and national history through faith and belief. The Palace is also home to Francisco de Zurbarán’s Jacob and His Twelve Sons, one of the most important collections of Spanish Golden Age painting in the world. That connection is deepened by the Spanish Gallery, housing the finest collection of 17th-century Spanish art outside Spain, opened in 2022 by His Majesty the King, then Prince of Wales, alongside Queen Letizia of Spain.

“Our artistic pedigree does not end there. Bishop Auckland’s proud industrial heritage is vividly captured in the Mining Art Gallery, showcasing works by Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish — towering figures of British social realism. The gallery was founded by local GP Robert McManners and Gillian Wales, who donated their private collections in partnership with the Auckland Project, the charity dedicated to establishing Bishop Auckland as a must-visit cultural destination.

“The town also has a rich musical and performing arts tradition. Stanley Jefferson — better known as Stan Laurel — was educated at King James Grammar School while his father managed the Eden Theatre. Edward Elgar was a regular visitor and performed The Music Makers at St Peter’s Church in 1913, dedicating it to his friend Nicholas Kilburn, the church’s organist. Is it possible that Land of Hope and Glory was also heard there first?

“Just beyond the town, Witton Park was once home to the largest ironworks in Europe and marks the starting point of the Stockton & Darlington Railway — the world’s first passenger railway. Its bicentenary last year saw the past meet the future of north-eastern rail innovation, including a replica of Locomotion No.1 carrying Prince Edward into neighbouring Shildon, the world’s first railway town. Today, the Locomotion Museum, part of the National Science Museum Group, tells the story of those pioneers who took private risk for public benefit and built an industry that transformed the world.

“Football, too, runs deep here. In 1909, West Auckland FC — an amateur team of local pitmen — were invited to compete in the first football “World Cup”, the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. The town raised the money to send them to Turin, where they stunned Europe by winning the tournament — and then defended their title in 1911, beating Juventus 6–1 in the final. Nearby Crook Town produced Jack Greenwell, who went on to play for Barcelona and remains their longest-serving manager.

“Perhaps the most telling sporting story came in 1958. After the Munich Air Disaster, Bishop Auckland FC loaned players to Manchester United so the club could fulfil its fixtures. One of them, Warren Bradley, later played for England. That act of solidarity forged a bond between the clubs that endures to this day — and is now retold in the radio play Bishop United, written and performed by local retirees.

“In modern times, Bishop Auckland continues to thrive culturally. Its annual Food Festival attracts more than 30,000 visitors, with over 140 local producers, celebrity chefs, and entertainment for all ages. Monthly moon markets celebrate local makers and street food, while December’s Bishop Auckland Christmas Town fills the marketplace with lights, music, skating, rides and winter stalls, drawing tens of thousands more. These events are staffed in partnership with Bridge Creative, a local charity supporting adults with learning disabilities into employment.

“History, faith, industry, music, art, sport, food and festivals — few towns tell the cultural story of Britain as completely as Bishop Auckland.

“That story comes alive each summer in Kynren, the UK’s largest outdoor live show and the jewel in our cultural crown. Set against the backdrop of Auckland Palace and Deer Park, with Viking longboats, galloping horses, pyrotechnics and a cast of 1,000 — many of them local volunteers — Kynren tells the story of England from Arthurian legend to the present day. Later this year, the site will also host a new daytime historical attraction celebrating the heritage trades of our region.

“Yet Bishop Auckland is not just a town of history — it is a town on the move. For all our progress, challenges remain. “Theatre Corner” no longer has a theatre. A local theatre group is searching for an affordable permanent home. Funding that once enabled young people to access the arts has diminished. Some sports facilities need upgrading. Shops just off the marketplace sit empty, and landmark buildings — the old Co-Op, Mechanics’ Institute and Masonic Hall — stand as faded facades of former vitality.

“But there is also a hunger for change and a community ready to make it happen.

“A new youth theatre school in nearby Shildon was quickly oversubscribed. When local MasterChef finalist Mike Bartley crowdfunded a fine-dining restaurant, the community backed him. I was deeply moved to attend the premiere of The First Five Miles at the Tees Valley International Film Festival — a docudrama by 18-year-old Michael Smith, starring Stephen Tompkinson, telling the story of the Witton Park to Shildon stretch of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

“That is why it matters so much that Bishop Auckland puts itself forward as the UK’s Town of Culture. We are a town that has shaped Britain’s past — and one that believes, with confidence and ambition, that our best days still lie ahead.”