Spectacular home-grown show comes to Bishop Auckland for the second year. We’re invited to the first performance
Arriving at Eleven Arches for the first performance of Kynren is a bit like attending the Quidditch World Cup. Thousands of people are thronging through this usually-deserted spot near Bishop Auckland in the dusky evening, the murmur of excited chatter everywhere around, all approaching a newly erected towered grandstand, called the Tribune, where they will take their seats for this magical entertainment.
This is what will rejuvenate the north east. Its mining and shipping industries have vanished, decimating a once rich community, but County Durham may have a strong future ahead of it thanks to tourism. It's no less beautiful a county than Devon or Cornwall, it has good transport links, and it has rich heritage to rival anywhere else in the UK.
It's the heritage that Kynren is celebrating, focusing on Bishop Auckland. It takes you seamlessly through the eras of the Romans, the Vikings, the Normans, the Tudors, the Industrial Age and the Second World War, and weaves into the story the monks of Lindisfarne, the battles of the Borders, and the miners of Victorian County Durham.
Fire and water
The story starts with a young Bishop Auckland boy who travels back in time and takes the viewers 2,000 years forward in history. His time machine rises breathtakingly from a lake, followed by the show-stopping main set, a facsimile of Auckland Castle, which stands beside a lake that constantly spouts lighting, fountains and other water effects. Look out in particular for the moment Durham Cathedral is recreated from water and light. Stunning.
Then there's the pyrotechnics: Warriors fire flaming arrows at each other, a carefully-crafted mining disaster creates a sense of real grief that will be especially poignant to the thousands of local people who will see it, and a stunning firework display finishes the whole show in spectacular, patriotic style.
If it's the heritage of the area that features in the show, it's the community spirit that's all around it. More than 1,500 volunteers, almost all locals, are involved in the cast, crew, and production, from the chap who plays the Prince Bishop to the people who check your tickets. The cast of 500 local people do an excellent job of acting their parts and lip-synching with the recorded speech, to a soundtrack of magnificent music.
There are local animals, too – horses gallop across the stage, ridden by cast members who perform daring feats of jousting; sheep are chased across the scene by villagers; and a gaggle of geese waddle through very well-behaved in a herd.
Learning to fly
The production is the brainchild of Jonathan Ruffer, philanthropist, whose vision and investment have saved first Auckland Castle, and now the wider county of Durham. He introduced the show on the last dress rehearsal, watched by press, family and friends.
He expressed confidence that Kynren will still be going in another 250 years, and hinted at the grand-scale plans that are in place to turn this whole area into an attraction, with Kynren at its heart.
Talking about the show’s beginnings in 2016 to turning it into the huge extravaganza it already is now, he said: “We learned to fly as we were building the aircraft as we were already up in the air.”
Directed by Olympic Games Opening Ceremony veteran Steve Boyd, the format of the show is based on those of Puy du Fou in France, but it’s the only one of its kind in Britain.
Who’s to say it couldn’t become the Oberammergau Passion Play of the UK? It’s that good.
Kynren runs until September, but look out for tickets for the 2018 season at elevenarches.org
Durham Cathedral
Our visit to County Durham also took in Durham’s famous cathedral, part of the city’s impressive hilltop world heritage site.
Durham Cathedral is a visual feast, holding many of the UK's finest examples of Norman architecture, from great round arches to eerily modern geometrically-patterned columns.
It also holds a wealth of history, and is the final resting place of both the Venerable Bede and St Cuthbert – the tomb of Bede forms the focal point of the beautiful Lady Chapel, while St Cuthbert’s monumental shrine has been an important site of pilgrimage for centuries.
The one-hour tour of the cathedral takes us from the Lady Chapel, unusually sited at the west end of the cathedral; down the nave; through the quire with its elegant screen, and into the Chapel of the Nine Altars, a 13th century extension. Then we're free to have a look at St Cuthbert's shrine, still an important site of pilgrimage today, wander the wonderfully-preserved cloisters, and visit the shop – as well as see a representation of the cathedral in Lego.
Open Treasure
But don't let your group go without seeing the Open Treasure exhibition. Opened last year, this new attraction easily adds another hour to your group's visit. It's housed in the old monastery dormitory, which later became a library. The walls are still lined with books; the huge, airy room is worth seeing in itself, with its fine wooden beams supporting a soaring ceiling.
The exhibition is a high-quality museum of religious architecture and monastic life, and makes the cathedral even more of a world-class attraction.
It's also home to changing exhibitions. At present, it's showing the three beautifully-preserved Magna Cartas in the cathedral's collection, along with their related Charter of the Forest documents. That exhibition finishes in September, but then there'll be an exhibition on music at the cathedral, then on ‘saintly sisters’, in a three-monthly rolling programme.
And, opening at the end of July is a permanent exhibition on the Treasures of St Cuthbert, housed in the rare, restored Great Kitchen. The treasures will include the saint’s incredible preserved coffin, the vestments he was buried with and probably used in his lifetime, and the Pectoral Cross – symbol of Durham Cathedral.
Group tickets for both the cathedral and Open Treasure are £10pp. Group meals are available, and a group can easily spend four hours at the cathedral.
Raby Castle
While in Durham, it’s worth travelling out of the city for a leisurely afternoon at Raby Castle, with a tour and a stroll around the gardens.
This is the Alnwick Castle of County Durham, owned for centuries by the Neville family, whose rivals in the North were the Percys, earls of Northumberland. Today the castle is lived in by the Nevilles’ descendant the 12th Lord Barnard, who succeeded his father in May last year when the 11th Lord died.
The castle has a fascinating history, including associations with royalty. Here is where Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV and Richard III, was born and later heavily guarded prior to her marriage to the Duke of York. Later on, it became the centre of a Neville plot to overthrow Elizabeth I, at which point it was seized by the Crown.
Its biggest changes, however, came in the 18th century when the family literally drove a coach and horses through the grand entrance hall. The ceiling was raised by 10 feet to allow carriages to enter and turn around, and the interiors were remodelled by John Carr.
Fine ceilings, elegant wallpapers and grand furniture characterise the castle today. The Octagonal Drawing Room is particularly lovely; the shutters are kept closed to protect the silk wallpaper, which gives you a feel for how this beautifully-restored room would have appeared at night when the ladies withdrew to it after dinner.
The castle is notable first for its size – including the magnificent Barons’ Hall, one of the longest rooms in the north east – and secondly for its fine collection of art. Van Dyke, Reynolds and Giordano all have paintings here.
Raby Castle is very suitable for groups, with ample coach parking, free entry for the driver/organiser, free refreshments for the driver, pick-up/drop-off at the castle entrance, meet-and-greet, and guided tours. Tickets are £10pp.
Visit County Durham
Visit County Durham is happy to help coach tour operators and group travel organisers plan their tours. Its website for GTOs is very useful, listing attractions, accommodation, tour guides and events, as well as itinerary suggestions. Call 03000 262626 or email tradeinfo@discoverdurham.co.uk.
