STUDENTS of Durham's history are often drawn to Old Durham, the name of a farm a mile to the east of Durham Cathedral, below Gilesgate's Sherburn Road Estate. The obvious question is: How old is Old Durham?

Well, to put it into perspective, Durham City was first mentioned in the 10th Century when monks carrying St Cuthbert's coffin first settled there. By comparison, Old Durham's history goes back at least 900 years earlier, to Roman times when it was the site of a villa abandoned when the empire collapsed. Its ancient name is long forgotten.

Surtees, the Durham historian, could only speculate about Old Durham's origins. In 1840 he wrote: "Induced by the easy command of water and rich surrounding pasturage, it may be easily conceived that Romans should fix their camp on this green semi-isle."

Surtees was by no means certain and speculated that neighbouring Maiden Castle - across the river to the west - could also be Roman. However, it is generally agreed that Maiden Castle dates from an earlier period.

Almost a century later, in 1939, the land just to the south of Old Durham Farm was being quarried for sand when a Gilesgate man called Jack Hay confirmed what Surtees and other historians had only speculated about - Old Durham was, indeed, Roman.

Mr Hay discovered a small collection of broken Roman tiles, which aroused the interest of local archaeologists.

The ever-expanding sand quarry was a threat to the ancient site, but a number of important discoveries were made.

One person taking a keen interest was the Master of Sherburn Hospital, the appropriately named Canon Thomas Romans, who made detailed descriptions of the site's most important feature, a Roman bathhouse.

Old Durham was a civilian rather than a military site - a rare occurrence in the North. It was occupied in the second and fourth centuries but abandoned for a period during the third. It was originally a native farm occupied by ancient Britons who became Romanised. The villa suggests that important people lived here.

The Romans may have diverted the course of the Old Durham Beck in this neighbourhood.

The stream, known at times as the River Pitting, may originally have joined the Wear opposite Shincliffe Bridge but now joins the Wear further north, near the racecourse.

The Roman diversion possibly enabled the stream to serve as a defensive ditch.

Two Roman roads, perhaps associated with Old Durham, point to Durham City centre.

One, an offshoot of Dere Street, passes through Brancepeth, Brandon and Langley Moor.

The other, from Middleton St George via Sedgefield, continues through Bowburn and on to Shincliffe.

The roads joined up at an unknown location near or within the present city centre, before continuing north to a Roman fort at Chester-le-Street.

The discovery of Roman coins and pottery beneath Durham cathedral in the 1970s and 1980s provides further tantalising hints of Roman occupation in Durham City.

OLD Durham's story continued long after Roman times.

From the 1200s it belonged to the rectors of St Nicholas, before passing to Kepier Hospital in the 1400s. In 1569, a Londoner called John Heath purchased it and a mansion house was built.

Later, in 1642, Heath's greatgreat granddaughter, Elizabeth, the sole heir to the estate, married John Tempest, the MP for Durham, however, the Tempests chose to live at Wynyard.

In the following century the mansion at Old Durham was demolished, but substantial gardens developed on a terraced slope were maintained and became a popular place of recreation for Durham City residents.

They continued to be so until the early part of the 20th Century, then fell derelict after the Second World War.

The mansion and gardens stood immediately north of the present farm buildings, which date in part from the 17th Century.

The garden terrace survives, along with a gazebo. They underwent extensive restoration in the 1980s and 1990s.

A garden house also survives.

It became a pub called the Pineapple Inn some time before 1837, but lost its licence in 1926 because of unruly behaviour. It is now a private residence.

The Roman villa stood further south of the farm near the north-east side of the beck, close to the footbridge. There is no public access to this part of Old Durham and nothing remains of the site because of the extensive excavation of sand.

Just to the east stood Old Durham Colliery, on the north side of the beck almost opposite Shincliffe Mill Boarding Kennels.

The colliery opened in 1849 and was owned by the Marquis of Londonderry. He became the owner of the Old Durham estate through marriage to Frances Anne Tempest, in 1819, and his descendant, the seventh Marquis, sold the site to the Hopps family in the early 20th Century.

A member of this family sold part of the land to Durham City Council in 1985 for the restoration of the gardens.

Published: 24/10/2003