PALACE Green, tucked between the cathedral and the castle, was the original location of Durham's market place.

It comprised a mass of wooden houses huddled together in a tight space and was presumably the hub of commercial activity when pilgrims flocked to the ancient city. A regular market was established here perhaps as early as 1040.

Palace Green's role as a market place was brought to an end by the Norman Bishop of Durham, Ranulf Flambard, who cleared the old buildings, which he considered a fire hazard, and moved the market place to its present site.

Unfortunately, none of the buildings in the market place today can be described as medieval. Most are Georgian, Victorian or 20th Century in origin.

In the 19th Century, the market place church was the most obvious medieval building, tracing its origin to Norman times and dedicated to St Nicholas, patron saint of merchants.

However, it is not the same as the church that stands today. The present church of St Nicholas was constructed in the 19th Century and vaguely resembles the earlier church, with the most pronounced difference being the spire.

The southern face of the older church looked on to the market place, and in front of it, there was a piazza - a kind of covered market of nine arches that was built in 1780.

The piazza may have been built with material from an earlier arched market cross that stood in the market place.

The north wall of the church faced out towards Claypath bank and was described as a wall of great strength and height - a feature copied in the present church. This was, in effect, part of the city wall that continued across Claypath in the form of an archway.

The arch was called Clayport Gate and was located where Claypath joined the market place. An obstruction to traffic, it was removed along with shops and neighbouring houses in 1791.

On the west side of the market place, near the church, stood a massive house built for the powerful Neville family in the early 1500s. It was known as New Place, or occasionally Bull's Head, after the Neville family crest.

Part of the building was still standing in the mid-19th Century next door to a guildhall that dated from 1555 (replaced in 1665).

Confusingly, neither New Place nor the guildhall appear on Speed's map of Durham of 1610, unless they are represented by an arched building set back slightly from the church.

In the 1850s, it was decided that the old church, market piazza and guildhall were no longer suitable to the needs of the city.

The developments that replaced them managed to defy Victorian architectural style and were subtle structures that reflected the buildings they replaced.

This was the case with the guildhall, town hall, indoor markets and market tavern that were constructed by PC Hardwick between 1849 and 1851.

The original church of St Nicholas had been repaired extensively over the centuries, and in 1841, its eastern end had been shortened to allow for the widening of Claypath.

In 1857, the church was demolished altogether. If its loss was lamented, then it was not for long. The new church built by JB Pritchett, of Darlington, in 1857, was described by the Illustrated London News as "the most beautiful specimen of church architecture in the North of England".

However, it is rather sad that the original building was lost for all time.

* If you have memories of Durham, including old photographs or stories of people and places you would like to share with The Northern Echo, write to David Simpson, Durham Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF. All photos will be returned.

Published: 21/03/2003

If you have any memories of Durham City, Chester-le-Street, Derwentside or the Durham coast, including old photos or stories of people and places you would like to share with readers of The Northern Echo, write to David Simpson, Durham Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or email David.Simpson@nne.co.uk. All photos will be returned.