Current Projects
As part of our celebrations of Durham Castle’s 950th anniversary (Read more about 950 Events) we launched North Terrace and Fellows’ Garden projects to restore some of the outdoor areas around the College. We hope these important initiatives help us to mark this important milestone in Castle’s history and create a renewed drive and momentum as we look towards and beyond the next millennium.
Designed to support student enrichment, we will shortly begin work to remodel Fellows’ Garden into an Arts, Culture and Heritage space. This £800,000 project is designed to benefit our student performers and events as well as becoming a summertime events venue for our local community. As part of the project we hope to erect a permanent stage, add professional sound and light infrastructure, create a new accessible entrance to the garden and introduce additional toilet facilities, which will dramatically improve the quality of events and performances in the area. Thanks to the generous support form a castle alumnus and University College Durham Trust, we are already in a very good position to complete the project by summer 2024.
The North Terrace Restoration Project aims to restore the historic walkway once used by Prince Bishops of Durham. The redevelopment will create a unique “Journey of Discovery” allowing students and visitors to admire both the castle and the wider Durham cityscape from a unique perspective. The project introduces paving on one end of the terrace – which will allow for gatherings, events and receptions – as well as a less formal walkway and a reading garden for students (with benches, sculpture and heritage appropriate planting).
"The demand for student support and wellbeing interventions is tremendous – in all my years educating university students, I’ve never seen the need this great. Professional staffing and peer welfare support are critical to this work, but we’re also aware that time and space for quiet reflection and self-care is helpful" Professor Wendy Powers, Principal and Associate Vice Provost
The total cost of this project is £300,000. Thanks to a generous legacy gift from one of our alumni, and the support of University College Durham Trust, we have already raised 57% of the necessary funding and are in a good position to open up this new space to students and visitors by the summer of 2024. But we can only reach our target, and create this much needed enrichment space, with the support of our community.