The cathedral dominates the skyline, but the university dominates the street life and Durham welcomes all-comers, finds Gary Parkinson

When the young River Wear obeyed the laws of physics and began to cut a deep incised meander into the sandstone bedrock looping around what is now Durham city centre, it created a high peninsula. Already naturally eye-catching, this enclosure has been moulded by humans into a cultural, architectural, ecclesiastical and educational centre standing comparison with some of Europe’s great cities.    

Durham is visually dominated by the cathedral, started in 1093, but in latter centuries its life has revolved more around the university. Generally acknowledged as one of the best seats of learning outside Oxbridge, it attracts around 25,000 students and staff who make up around half the city’s population. 

All-comers are welcome to enjoy that stunning central peninsula, including 500 listed buildings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The architectural time capsule contrasts with the constant rejuvenation of nightlife and culture at street level. 

Beyond the tight city, Durham is surrounded by pit villages which grew during the coal-mining era and it’s fair to say that some have struggled since. However, these villages are perfect green-belt commuter bases for those working in and around Durham.

Regeneration is an ongoing process: just this month, the county council has been examining plans for Aykley Heads which could bring 6,000 private sector jobs and a £400m boost – within sight of that World Heritage site. The river rolls ever onwards, and so does Durham. 

Starting out Less than a mile east of the city centre, Gilesgate is popular with students and others under 30. A two-bed flat is available at £89,950.

Great for families....  The Ofsted-rated outstanding Framwellgate Moor primary attracts families, and three minutes away there’s a three-bed end terrace for £159,950. A couple of miles east of Durham in Sherburn Village, a three-bed semi with countryside views is £119,999.

Just won the lottery? Overlooking the cathedral across the valley, Flass Vale Hall is a detached property with five acres of gardens, 10 more of woodland, 12,000 square feet, six ensuite bedrooms and a pricetag so large they won’t reveal it in public - but it sold for £1.25m in 1998. 

HEAD FOR RURAL BLISS IN… 

Barnard Castle Sitting on the River Tees 45 minutes south-west of Durham, this pretty 5,500-population market town is named after the dominant ruins of a Norman stronghold and also features the impressively art-stuffed Bowes Museum. A two-bed cottage will cost around £150,000.

Blanchland In the North Pennines AONB 45 minutes west of Durham, Blanchland is a medieval village, initially built around nearby Blanchland Abbey, and now popular with those walking the Derwent Valley. A sub-200 population makes properties rare, but nearby two-bed farmhouse Wagtail Farm is £299,950.

Saltburn More marine than rural, the 6,000-soul seaside settlement has a quaint Victorian charm with its water-powered funicular cliff lift, miniature railway and Yorkshire’s last pier. Quaker-founded, it didn’t possess a pub until 1982 (but has a few now). A seafront fixer-upper is yours for £90,000.

THE COST OF LIVING

Average rent: Prices fluctuate widely by location but self-contained one-bed flats cluster around the £750 mark and four-bed family homes around £1400. 

Average house price: One-beds average £92,000 but tenanted flats over a mile from the train station can cost as little as £60,000. Four-beds average £275,000 with new-builds trending higher; The Winster, on Aykley Heads recreation ground, is £369,950.

Average rental yield: Durham offers so much potential that a landlords’ insurance broker recently placed it atop a league table of university towns by yield, with an eye-watering 11.5 per cent per annum.

Average house price rise: The current average value of £173,338 is 1.45 per cent up on last year’s £170,855.

Average salary: The average gross full-time salary in County Durham is £27,594, which is £59 a week below the UK average of £30,629. In Durham itself, the employment rate of just 42 per cent (way below the British average of 75.6 per cent) reflects the university population: at the 2011 census there were almost as many full-time students as full-time employed.

Average price of a pint: £3

Council tax: £1,266 to £4,405 per annum. 

DURHAM AT A GLANCE

Connections: Two miles west of the A1(M), Durham is 30 minutes from Newcastle, two hours from Leeds and slightly further from Edinburgh. It’s just over four hours from London by train, with some direct services.

Amenities: 3/5 Regular markets on the Market Place, with Durham Indoor Market adjacent; Gala Theatre and Assembly Rooms for live events; dozens of pubs from the railway-station Waiting Room to the unpretentious old Market Tavern, plus clubs like Klute on Elvet Bridge.

Festivals and events: Fire & Ice (February), regatta (June), Brass (music, July), Wolsingham Show (agriculture, September), book festival (October)

Open space: 3/5 Although the old town is cramped, it sits within a protected green belt including Wharton Park, Raintonpark Wood, Belmont Viaduct, Ramside Hall, the River Wear and the kid-friendly Botanic Gardens - with plenty of national parks and AONBs within an hour’s drive.

Landmarks: All of the centre is a conservation area, containing more than 500 listed buildings. However, the city is literally and metaphorically dominated by the looming cathedral and university buildings.

Schools: 4/5 Plenty of outstanding institutions from primary (Framwellgate Moor, St Godric’s RC, St Margaret’s C of E) through secondary (Durham Johnston) to FE (Durham Sixth Form Centre, New College Durham). 

Crime: 2/5 In the year to June 2019, there were 97.45 recorded crimes per thousand people in Ceredigion – above the 89.3 average for England and Wales.

Famous faces: Record producer Trevor Horn was born here, with The One Show’s Matt Baker born in nearby Easington and Rowan Atkinson in Consett. 

Originally published in the Metro newspaper, 28 Jan 2019