Inside One of Bishop Auckland's Newly-Renovated Cottages at the Heart of the Town
Walking in the footsteps of the original Kings of the North, we spend a weekend in Lightfoot Cottage
Although I’m LN’s proud resident Teessider, my family hold a lot of their memories in Bishop Auckland, the gateway to the Durham Dales. My great nana lived in nearby Binchester, which means my granny spent much of her early life around here, and three years ago I moved to County Durham to ease the LN commute whilst remaining close to my family’s roots. That means, as I hop aboard the X21 bus from near LN HQ (which handily drops me right opposite our cottage for the weekend just as my partner pulls in in the car), I feel as though I’m heading home – albeit a far more majestic one. My partner drives through the archway to our private parking spot, just off Market Place, before we both head inside Lightfoot Cottage which sits behind iron railings and flowerbeds, directly adjacent to the gates to Auckland Palace (better known as Auckland Castle).
As we step inside this respectfully refurbished historic home I feel as though we could play Kings and Queens here, or Lords and Ladies – or should it be Bishops? Flowers picked by The Auckland Project volunteers have been arranged in a vase in the entrance hall and a welcome pack comes complete with unlimited passes to The Auckland Project’s attractions (most of which are surrounding the cottage). That’s our weekend plans sorted.
My partner follows behind as I take a peek in each room, starting with the dining room complete with a perfectly-set dining table reminiscent of (although of course much smaller than) the one in Auckland Castle’s Long Dining Room. The sitting room, painted in cooking-apple green (very similar to, if not the same as, the walls of the Long Dining Room) is seriously spacious but certainly cosy and we spot a Scrabble board set out with words relating to Bishop Auckland – a clever touch. There’s tea, coffee, milk and a fresh loaf of bread waiting for us in the dining-kitchen (painted bright pink, slightly darker than the walls of the Castle’s Throne Room). I mark all these similarities as, with the artwork on the walls and the quirky and antique furnishings, it seems effort has been made to complement the interiors of the nearby castle. None of this takes away from the cottage’s homely feel, meaning we feel instantly comfortable here.
Upstairs we take our pick from three bedrooms and realise just how close we actually are to the castle (bedroom two overlooks the historic cobbles of the Broadwalk leading to it). In the end, we choose bedroom one – it has an ensuite. It’s also the closest room to the spacious bathroom with a bath, overhead shower and pretty floral wallpaper.
Before the sun sets and we settle down for the evening, we decide to take a walk through the town and stumble across Knead a Slice, where we order two pizzas to enjoy back at the cottage, and a drink each to sip in the sun whilst we wait for our take out. We simply can’t bring ourselves to eat takeaway pizza at the immaculately-set dining table so instead we dine at the smaller table in the kitchen then retreat to the sitting room for a game of Scrabble. The winner gets the last of the wine that’s been cooling in the fridge (found in the kitchen’s medieval alcove no less).
After an uninterrupted night’s sleep, we chat over toast, tea and coffee, this time each taking a seat at each end of the dining table, before heading out armed with our unlimited passes. First stop, Auckland Tower. From the viewing platform we’re in awe of the 360-degree views across Auckland Park and its surrounding landscape. We spot Lightfoot Cottage and realise how close it is to the recently-opened Faith Museum, which we’re keen to visit later in the day. But first we’re headed to the Mining Art Gallery for The Last Cage Down, a new exhibition coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike. It’s emotional and we conclude our visit by watching a series of short films showing what life was like at that time. There’s just enough time for a peek inside the Spanish Gallery, the UK’s first gallery dedicated to the art and culture of the Spanish Golden Age, before our thoughts turn to food. Lunch at the Bishop’s Kitchen (at the heart of Auckland Castle) is always a treat, and we savour ours in the sunny courtyard garden.
Of course we also take this chance to marvel at the castle’s interiors before admiring some Gainsborough masterpieces in the Bishop Trevor Gallery, but we mustn’t miss the opportunity to be one of the first to take a stroll around the redesigned and newly unveiled sections of the Walled Garden and Faith Garden, where we can already see the birds and bees reaping its benefits. Designed by Pip Morrison, whose previous work includes the reimagined Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, it has been almost a decade in the making – but well worth the wait. We look forward to returning for various events taking place here throughout summer.
If you think we can’t fit anything else into our afternoon – you’d be mistaken! The Faith Museum is on our agenda, but we definitely underestimated just how much there is to see inside. An hour just to explore the tithe barn-shaped building was enough, but realistically you need a whole afternoon to truly get to grips with the 6,000 years of British history packed inside. Having heard all about it on our last visit to Binchester Roman Fort, we enjoy getting a closer look at the Binchester Ring, supposedly one of the earliest Christian artefacts found in Britain, as well as Mat Collishaw’s sound and video installation which has been commissioned specially for the museum. All that calls for a cup of tea and some chill time back at Lightfoot Cottage before dinner.
We’ve been craving tapas since the aroma of El Castillo (The Auckland Project’s tapas restaurant at the heart of the Market Place) tempted us at the Spanish Gallery earlier so I’ve booked a table. We finish our meal with drinks al fresco still in sight of our cottage. It’s clear it couldn’t be more perfectly placed for Bishop Auckland’s best attractions. Lighter nights mean a stroll in the Deer Park is on the cards before we head back to the cottage. As the sun sets we head to the Deer House and watch the lambs all leaping in one direction, as though to lead us to something we’re missing. Heading back up the pathway we stop as we hear what they hear – a faint but recognisable sound. Rehearsals for Kynren are taking place, and from where we’re standing we can just about hear snippets of Arthur’s epic tale of England.
The following morning we struggle to drag ourselves from the comfort of our bed and we’re gutted to be leaving our home-from-home so soon. A peaceful breakfast in the dining room concludes our stay and we reluctantly head home, but stop at North Bondgate car park on the way and catch a glimpse of what we believe is Cosmo, Kynren’s newest cast member, a majestic grey shire horse, in the fields below!
Extending either side of the original palace walls with a clever blend of ancient and modern features, Lightfoot Cottage couldn’t be better placed for experiencing what Bishop Auckland has to offer.
aucklandproject.org/hotel/lightfoot-cottage
