Years of work to establish one of the region’s major tourist attractions has been rewarded with a top title.

The Auckland Project in County Durham, which includes Auckland Palace and Gardens, Auckland Tower, the Faith Museum, the Spanish Gallery and Mining Art Gallery, has achieved the highest rating from VisitEngland after a detailed assessment, to uncover places that epitomise excellence in tourism.

Jared Bowers, Chief Operating Officer at The Auckland Project, said: “Achieving a VisitEngland Gold accolade is a testament to the time, effort, skill and passion that has been invested into The Auckland Project. Our staff and volunteers are committed to giving guests a great experience, and understand the importance of a friendly face, a knowledgeable mind, and an engaging story.”

Now in its tenth year, VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Accolades are available to participants of the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme. A range of tourism establishments are eligible including historic houses, gardens, country parks, farm attractions, galleries, museums, churches and cathedrals.

Supported by a network of assessors, the scheme advises attractions on improving and promoting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of their sites, whilst recognising outstanding offerings in categories including Welcome, Best Told Story, Quality Food & Drink, Hidden Gem and Gold.

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The milestone achievement is the latest amongst a recent flurry of accolades for regeneration charity The Auckland Project, including a Building Beauty Award for the impressive Faith Museum and a Gold Award from Northumberland in Bloom for its newly renovated gardens, brought to life by designer Pip Morrison and the Palace’s gardening team. The Auckland Project has also been shortlisted for the North East Tourism Awards.

“The Auckland Project continues to showcase the region’s heritage and highlight artefacts, architecture and activities on an international level of importance in the arts and culture sectors,” said Jared.

We’re confident our ‘Gold’ achievement will bring new audiences to Bishop Auckland so that we can share with more people what we’re establishing here.”

The Auckland Project is a regeneration charity transforming Bishop Auckland into a premier visitor destination through a unique collection of heritage attractions, galleries and gardens. 

Once home to the Prince Bishops of Durham, Auckland Palace is one of the best-preserved bishops’ palaces in Europe, which reopened in 2019 after undergoing major conservation work to transform its rooms to their original splendour. Jam-packed with notable artworks and structures, including twelve life-size figures painted by Francisco de Zurbarán, the Palace is also home to St Peter’s Chapel, where bishops have worshipped for centuries.

The Spanish Gallery is home to master paintings from the Spanish Golden Age, whilst the Mining Art Gallery showcases the unique culture and heritage of the mining industry, and the recently opened Faith Museum, sharing stories of faith in Britain across 6,000 years.

Andrew Stokes, Director of VisitEngland, said: “Our tourism businesses are the bedrock of our industry and it is wonderful to highlight and celebrate the fantastic service and experiences they give visitors.”