Skip to main content

St Nic's: The church in the market place in Durham

I enjoyed the opportunity to take an aerial photograph of St Nic's in Durham. 

The original Durham market was found in Palace Green. A rather smelly and dirty place, surrounded by people who lived and worked there. Not wanting to see his guest's or his views of Durham Castle and Cathedral spoilt Bishop Flambard saw fit to move anything that got in the way. He relocated the market place to where Durham Market Place can be found today and moved the people nearby. St Nicholas (St Nic's), the church in the market place was built. 

According to Gavin Wakefield in his book St Nicholas' Church, Durham (2025),"We don't know exactly when St Nicolas' Church was built but it is most likely that it was by 1128". Known as the people's church, the folks of St Nic's served in and around the market place and continue to do so today.




St Nic's Church, Market Place Durham

This is a very simplified story of St Nic's Church, to find out more read St Nicholas' Church, Durham by Gavin Wakefield at https://www.stnics.org.uk/tellingourstory or contact St Nic's to obtain a copy of the book.

Popular posts

Images on this site and their use

DJI Mini 2 SE Thank you for taking the time to have a look at the photographs taken using a 249g drone or my S22 smart phone. I fly drones for fun, enjoying taking photographs and then having more fun publishing the images when home. Use of Images The images on this site are intended for everyone to enjoy and therefore free to download for non-commercial purposes. If you would like to mention me when using my images that would be great. Placing a link to my website www.andymitchell.uk does drive more traffic to it which is always appreciated. 

Where Stone Meets Skin: The Poetry (and Occasional Comedy) of the Walls We Build

Richmond Castle Wall Last weekend we took another wander around Richmond in North Yorkshire — because when you find a place you like, you just keep going back until it practically starts greeting you by name. It was a proper leisurely stroll too, the kind where you nod knowingly at familiar streets as if you’re locals (even though you still check the map now and then, just to avoid confidently walking in the wrong direction). As we ambled along, the great outside walls of Richmond Castle appeared once again — standing there with the same impressive confidence as always, looking far more put together than we did after 45 minutes of “gentle walking”. The castle stood there with the quiet confidence of something that has survived far more than any of us would care to imagine. Weather-worn, dignified, and only slightly crumbling (in the charming way), its walls seemed to say, “I’ve been through storms, sieges, and coach-loads of tourists — what’s your excuse?” And, strangely enough, thos...

A Bright February Morning in Teesdale

We had the loveliest morning out in Teesdale today. The snow was crisp, clean and brilliantly white – a rare little gift for February. There’s something wonderfully refreshing about looking out over a snowy landscape; it makes everything feel still, calm and just a bit magical! What made it even more striking were the flashes of green peeking through where the snow had either melted or never quite settled. Those soft contrasts between winter white and fresh green gave the whole valley a layered, almost painterly look. And after weeks of gloomy skies, the sun finally decided to make an appearance. The light bounced off the snow and shone across the fields, making Teesdale feel alive again. You might think it’s grim up north, but honestly – it couldn’t have been further from the truth. The place was absolutely glowing. A simple morning out, but one that lifted all our spirits.