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Durham
Durham maps
Historic maps of Durham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Durham maps
Durham area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Durham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Durham
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Durham.
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St Godrics
My grandfather, John Benjamin Slack, was the organist at St Godric's Church for many many years before he died in 1924. The house visible on the photo at the end of the road is 67 North Road - this was where my great great grandfather Richard Lindsley and his family lived in the 1880s. It looks just the same today!
Arrival in Durham
This the view one saw when arriving in Durham by train from Kings Cross, but nowadays most of the little houses between the station and the city have vanished. The heart of the city lies in a horseshoe-shaped bend in the River Wear, and on the left in the picture is the Castle, and on the right the Norman Cathedral, both of which were part of my life when I attended Durham University from 1956-1959. In those days the city was small, with 3.000 inhabitants, and we 1.500 students considerably swelled the population at term time. Nowadays there are far more students and colleges.
My Time at University
The market place is at the very centre of Durham City, and on the left of the picture can be seen the City Hall, where we not only had the Saturday night "hop", but also took exams. On the right is Doggatts Store where if I remember right, we had to buy our gowns, college blazers and scarves and squares ("mortarboards").
Daily Walk to Lectures
While I was at Durham University I attended St. Mary's College, on the opposite side of the River Wear from the City centre, and every day I had to walk across this bridge over the river, which was strictly a footbridge. The only car allowed to cross it was the ancient one owned by the Chancellor Sir James Duff. Through the central arch can be seen an old mill, which was turned into an archaeology department while I was at the University.
University Days
This was one of the streets I walked along when going to the lecture rooms on Palace Green. On the left is No.1, the large house belonging to St.John's Theological College, and on the right is the arched entrance to the Cathedral close.
Walk to Palace Green
While at University my daily walk led me up Dun Cow Lane, on the left of this photo. In 1956 the railings in front of the houses had all disappeared. The ancient church of St.Mary-le-Bow was built of sandstone, and as it stood on a rather draughty and exposed corner, the soft stone suffered badly from wind erosion - I can remember the big holes which eventually formed in the ashlars. Later it was closed because it became unsafe. I don't know whether it has since been restored and reopened, because I haven't been back to Durham since 1973.
Palace Green
This beautiful photo of the splendid Norman Cathedral was taken just before I started studying at the University, and brings back pleasant memories. In the foreground is Palace Green, a dignified lawn, and on the right can be seen the low Students' Union building and the building of the University Library, both of which I knew well..
Court Cases
As I was reading politics, I and my fellow students were advised to go and listen to court cases held in the Shire Hall. I remember doing so at least once, and it was most impressive. on the right had side of the picture can be seen the Castle keep. Students at University College had rooms in this keep.
