Auckland Castle Deer House and Park

About

Auckland Castle commands a prominent position overlooking the River Wear, surrounded by formal gardens and 150 acres of idyllic parkland. Created over 800 years ago by the Prince Bishops of Durham, primarily as an estate for hunting, it was one of the reasons why the Bishops chose to live at Auckland Castle rather than in Durham City.

Beyond the 18th century Robinson Clock Tower and Gatehouse the parkland still retains its Medieval features and resonates with echoes of how the Medieval Bishops lived, entertained and hunted. The highlight is a Deer House built in 1760 in Gothic Revival style constructed as a folly to provide shelter for the deer and a place for them to be fed.

As a whole, the Castle with its landscape is a breath-taking composition that was admired and captured by artists from the 17th Century onwards including JMW Turner. Today the parkland can be enjoyed by all the family.