CHURCH bosses are tonight preparing for crucial talks about the future of Auckland Castle and the iconic Zurbaran paintings.

About 20 members of the Church Commission and Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee (BCC) will arrive at the 800-year-old palace, in Bishop Auckland, at lunchtime tomorrow, before spending an afternoon meeting local representatives.

Church delegates will include Andrew Brown, the secretary to the Church Commission, and Timothy Walker, chairman of the BCC, which is responsible for Bishops’ diocese and cathedrals.

A Church Commission spokesman said the visit was part of a “very thorough process” to see whether the castle is sustainable, both as a place of work and as a home for the Bishop of Durham.

He said: “No decision has yet been made. The key thing to decide is the suitability of the castle as a home and base for the bishop.”

Campaigners say the fate of the castle is linked to that of the Zurbaran paintings it houses, the prospective sale of which has sparked fury among art historians and County Durham residents.

Sir Paul Nicholson, the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, heads a working group exploring the options for the castle and paintings and will meet the churchmen.

He said the meeting was important and that he intended to show the committee how the castle could be made viable having previously written a report about it.

Dr Robert McManners, a member of the working group, said there was huge religious and social significance to the hanging of the paintings.

The 13, eight-foot high paintings were created by Francisco de Zurbarán in the 1640s and depict Jacob and his 12 sons.

They were installed at the castle, which has been home to the Bishop of Durham for more than 800 years, in 1756 by Bishop Trevor.

Dr McManners said the pictures, which are “powerful images in Judaism”, were put up at the same time as the country fiercely debated the rights of immigrant Jews.

He said the Bishop, “the second most important man in the country”, had hung them to “represent a downtrodden religious group and promote social and religious tolerance”.

Dr McManners said: “They are there for a very important reason. There is also a suggestion that the room in which they hang was redesigned especially to accommodate them.

“Personally, I think they are a treasure of European religious art.”

Legal experts are examining whether or not the paintings can be removed from the castle, or if they form part of the fixtures and fittings.

The campaign to stop the paintings, valued at £15m, from being sold has attracted strong support from academics, dignitaries and celebrities, including the vicechancellor of Durham University, the Dean of Durham Cathedral and musician Jools Holland.

Objectors argue the sale of the paintings and castle will provide only short-term finance that is unlikely to wholly benefit the Durham diocese.

Dr McManners said: “The message behind the pictures and the heritage is so enormous it seems almost sinful to contemplate destroying that for short-term financial gain.

“You can only sell the family silver once.”

Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman urged tomorrow’s delegation to listen to the strong feelings expressed by the townsfolk and campaigners.

She said she had spoken to concerned constituents eager to preserve the paintings and stop the castle from being sold.

She said: “Most people think the castle should be kept as the Bishop’s home. It should, in effect, be a working castle.

“I think it will be an important meeting and I would urge the commission members to listen to those opinions tomorrow.”

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