Press trip opportunity - be amazed by Durham's fascinating heritage

Visit County Durham has launched a spring campaign to promote the county's fascinating heritage. As well as the world-renowned Durham Cathedral and Castle UNESCO World Heritage Site and award-winning Beamish Museum, two brand new crowd-pulling attractions are due to open in early summer. 

Be one of the first to explore Durham Cathedral's eagerly-anticipated Open Treasure exhibition experience, opening within Durham Cathedral's Claustral buildings on 23rd July, as well as Eleven Arches' £34 million open-air live action night show, 'Kynren – an epic tale of England', which debuts on 2nd July. 

Open Treasure will open the doors to previously hidden spaces within the cathedral cloister, representing some of the most intact surviving medieval monastic buildings in England and home to the best-preserved monastic library in the British Isles. The story of these remarkable buildings will be told through the creation of a new exhibition space which will begin in the fourteenth century Monks' Dormitory and end in the Great Kitchen.

In addition, this summer, the market town of Bishop Auckland will burst into life as Eleven Arches presents 'Kynren – an epic tale of England' – its £34 million open-air live action night show. Opening on 2nd July, Kynren will be rolled out as 14 action-packed and movie-like performances of colossal and dazzling proportions across the summer. Presented by a cast and crew of hundreds, Kynren will take audiences on a 90-minute epic storytelling journey through 2000 years.

Further new developments at visitor attractions and new events include Beamish Museum's new chemist's and photography studio; the Somme 1916: From Durham to the Western Front commemorative exhibition at Palace Green Library; and the Gala Theatre's immersive, walkthrough experience, 1916: No Turning Back.

The campaign, being run in partnership with Eleven Arches, Beamish Museum, Durham Cathedral, Durham University and Durham County Council's Culture and Sport Services, will run for six weeks.

If you are a journalist interested in stepping in to Durham's past - then please get in touch to discuss further.

To register your initial interest, please submit story ideas and publication details via email to Katharine.capocci@visitcountydurham.org

For any freelance journalists, please note we can only consider those with commissions.

ENDS

Pictured: Campaign partners gather to launch the campaign at Durham Cathedral.