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Auckland Castle
Attractions in Bishop Auckland

Seeing Bishop Auckland? Begin at Auckland Castle

Around Bishop Auckland, the places to visit include 4 museums, 2 castles and a historic house. The built-up area itself has 4 places on our list; 6 others are within 5 km of its edge. Visits to Locomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon run to about 94K a year. 2 of the places on the list are maintained by English Heritage. Durham Castle is worth a day, 15 km from the centre.

Photo: Auckland Castle, Pit-yacker (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Bishop Auckland
4
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
6
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
5
in or near town
Castles & historic places
4
in or near town
Cared for
2
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

The first to see in Bishop Auckland

Then come 3 museums, an art gallery and a castle, behind Auckland Castle.

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Plotted on the map

The farthest of them, Durham Mining Museum, is 7.4 km out.

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The dashed line is Bishop Auckland’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Which kinds

Museums or galleries number 5, castles or historic places 4.

Museums & galleries 4 museums · 1 art gallery3 in town · 2 nearby
Castles & historic places 2 castles · 1 historic house · 1 historic site1 in town · 3 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park0 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Bishop Auckland. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

2 places are cared for by English Heritage (Auckland Castle and Auckland Castle Deer Shelter).

Every place

All the places to visit

It starts in town with 4 places and goes on to 6 within 5 km of its edge.

The 4 inside Bishop Auckland come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

92 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Bishop Auckland’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bishop Auckland →

Big names nearby

Further afield: the best known within 40 km

Day trips number 12; the best known is Durham Castle, 15 km off.

Places well known beyond Bishop Auckland (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Know before you go to Bishop Auckland

What are the main attractions in Bishop Auckland?

The best known inside Bishop Auckland’s built-up area are Auckland Castle, Faith Museum, Mining Art Gallery and The Bishops. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 6 more within 5 km.

Does Bishop Auckland have a museum?

5 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Bishop Auckland: Faith Museum, Mining Art Gallery, The Bishops and Locomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Bishop Auckland?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Bishop Auckland, 2 places are cared for by English Heritage (Auckland Castle and Auckland Castle Deer Shelter).

What are the best-known days out near Bishop Auckland?

Within 40 km: Durham Castle (15 km), Durham Cathedral (15 km), Raby Castle (10 km), Barnard Castle Grounds (20 km).

Where are Bishop Auckland’s historic buildings listed?

Bishop Auckland has 92 listed buildings, 9 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Bishop Auckland when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (16)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.