World Heritage Day in Durham: History comes alive at Durham World Heritage Site with day of activities and adventure

The city celebrated its World Heritage Site status on Easter Monday (Monday, April 18) with a family-friendly free event, packed with interactive activities for all ages and taking in the beauty of Durham.

Entertainment on the day included living history in the Durham Castle grounds, live music, guided walks giving you a tour through Durham’s history, meeting Alwin the monk at Durham Cathedral and more.

Alison Clark, Head of Culture, Sport & Tourism at Durham County Council, said: “It is so good to see people enjoying Durham’s history come alive like never before.

"This one-day event on International World Heritage Day celebrated our people and culture, with the people of Durham.

“Durham once again has shown how it can bring extraordinary people, places and ideas together.

"It is events like this for the whole family that demonstrate the wealth of cultural activities in the county and shows why County Durham is now one of just four locations across the UK to be shortlisted for the prestigious title of UK City of Culture 2025.”

Durham’s World Heritage Site was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1986. It’s made up of Durham Cathedral, Durham Castle and the buildings located between them.

And World Heritage Day provided a perfect opportunity to educate families from across the region and beyond on the significance of the Site.

Liz Waller, Director of University Library and Collections, University Librarian added: “The World Heritage Site is always a fantastic place to visit, but World Heritage Day gave us an excuse to be more playful and explore the many different ancient spaces and treasures in a really fun way.”

Other cultural locations named on the World Heritage Site list include the Lake District, the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Tower of London.

M eanwhile, County Durham is also bidding to become City of Culture in 2025 , the winner of which is due to be announced next month.

Bradford, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough are the other three places on the shortlist.