The Bailey is a historic area in the centre of the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It consists of two streets, North Bailey and South Bailey.
Terminology
The area within the bend of the river, that is, the historic Durham Castle and Cathedral,
Palace Green, North Bailey, South Bailey, Saddler Street, Durham Market Place and other surrounding streets is known as "
The Peninsula", and forms one of the character areas of the Durham City Conservation Area.
The five Durham University colleges in this area (University College,
Hatfield College, St Chad's College, St John's College and St Cuthbert's Society) are often labelled
Bailey Colleges,
although only four of these are actually on the bailey, with University College being on Palace Green.
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Description
North and South Bailey
South Bailey begins close to St Cuthbert's Society, near to Prebends Bridge, at the southern tip of the peninsula.
Palace Green and Durham Castle and Cathedral
Palace Green is an area of grass flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From the north and east Palace Green is accessed by Owengate and Dun Cow Lane, the latter taking its name from a local legend involving a milkmaid and her cow.
Durham Market Place
The remainder of the peninsula is centred around Durham Market Place. Saddler Street is borne out of Owengate and North Bailey, continuing downhill to the Market Place. Elvet Bridge leads over to Elvet, the eastern part of Durham city centre, and is now pedestrianised. The Market Place itself is centred on a statue of Lord Londonderry. Saddler Street enters at its south-east corner, whilst Silver Street falls away to the south-west towards Framwellgate Bridge. St Nicholas' Church, Durham lies to the north of the Market Place, alongside the exit from Durham's Congestion Charge Zone onto Claypath. The dual carriageway A690 forms a northern border to the peninsula area.
History
With steep cliffs and the River Wear on three sides, Durham's peninsula has long been recognised as a prime defensive site. A fortress was first established there in 1072, with the present keep being built in the 14th century.
In the Middle Ages the whole peninsula was known as "the castle" and was enclosed by a wall. Parts of the wall can still be seen in the grounds of the Bailey colleges of Durham University and to the west of the Cathedral; these walls are Grade I listed building. Along the inside of the wall on the east side ran a street. This road still exists and forms the present North and South Bailey.
The central and southern parts of the peninsula, including Durham Castle, Durham Cathedral, the College, and Prebends Bridge, are now designated a World Heritage Site.
See also
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Margot Johnson. "The Peninsula" in Durham: Historic and University City and surrounding area. Sixth Edition. Turnstone Ventures. 1992. . Pages 1 to 8. See particularly "South Bailey" (including article on "North Bailey") at page 8. Also "The Borough of Durham" at pages 9 to 11.
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