Historic Durham Accommodation

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Historic British Cities: Durham

“A perfect little city”

- Bill Bryson

The city of Durham is dominated by its two most famous structures: The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert, and, Durham Castle. Together these extraordinary structures form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, the cathedral is widely regarded as the greatest piece of Norman architecture in Britain, and is famous for being where the remains of the Venerable Bede are interred. The Motte & Bailey castle also dates from the 11th century, and was once the home of the Prince-Bishops of Durham.

It should be noted, however, that the whole of the city centre is a designated conservation area, and boasts well in excess of 500 listed buildings. Indeed, as Symeon of Durham once stated, "To see Durham is to see the English Sion and by doing so one may save oneself a trip to Jerusalem".

Period Places to Stay in Durham

Best Western Whitworth Hall. Located some seven miles to the south west of Durham in Spennymoor, Whitworth Hall is a grade-II listed country house that was once the home of Bobby Shafto (of nursery rhyme fame). Set amid over 70 acres of deer park, it offers those visitors to the area who prefer more rural surroundings a base from which to explore both countryside and city.

Expedia

Lumley Castle. Admittedly, this particular hotel is a little way to the north of Durham and closer to Chester-le-Street, but is worthy of mention on account of its antiquity. Dating from the 14th century (when it was converted into a castle having been a manor house) the building is rightly Grade-I listed. It offers over 70 bedrooms in all, the ‘Black Knight’ restaurant, library bar, and is 4-star rated.

LateRooms | Lastminute | Expedia

Hallgarth Manor. Dating, in parts, from the sixteenth century, this rural estate is little more than three miles from the centre of town in the outlying village of Pittington. It possesses 23 bedrooms in all, a restaurant, bar, and two function rooms. The hotel is non-smoking throughout, has on-site parking and is rated as 3-star.

Booking.com | LateRooms

Kings Lodge. Around quarter of an hour’s walk to the centre of Durham, the Kings Lodge is a 21-room 3-star hotel offering bed & breakfast accommodation. It offers a bar, restaurant (the ‘Knights’), and on-site parking. It is situated alongside Flass Vale nature reserve and is within walking distance of Durham railway station.

Booking.com

The Three Tuns. Located close to the centre of the city on New Elvet, parts of the Three Tuns are said to date back to the 16th century. It offers 50 rooms in all, a bar, restaurant, and on-site parking. For those travelling with their pets, the hotel accepts well-behaved dogs on request.

Lastminute.com | Expedia

Fallen Angel Hotel. If ‘decadent boutique’ is your style, then the Fallen Angel certainly might be of interest. Although a Grade-II listed building, the 11 individually themed suites (which include ‘The Library’, ‘Cruella’, ‘Edwardian Express’ and ‘Le Boudoir’) are unlikely to appeal to the most conservative of history-travellers, but the establishment is still officially rated as a 5-star restaurant-with-rooms.

Booking.com | LateRooms

Oarsman’s Cottage. Only a five minute stroll away from the cathedral, Oarsman’s is an olde-worlde property able to accommodate up to 4 people.

Cottages4You

Also see...

It might not yet be the definitive list, but there are some fabulous places to discover in our Beautiful Villages of England section.

If you prefer a holiday or break under your own steam, there are plenty of Historic Holiday Cottages throughout the country. And we keep the ones we feature to those said to have been built before 1700, too.

There are other period properties offering accommodation in the county of Durham.

We believe we’ve highlighted those hotels in Durham of most interest to the history-enthusiast, but realise that we’ve probably overlooked a hidden gem in our research. As such, we’d love to hear from anyone who thinks they know of any high-quality accommodation of a period nature we’ve missed. The truth is, Nights In The Past has taken thousands of hours to compile - quite literally - and a few more makes no difference if it means we create the very best guide to historic hotels on the internet. Thank you for visiting.