News- Work to restore historic Durham footpaths complete

Published March 13, 2025 11.17am

Work to restore an historic route past Durham Cathedral has been completed.

Representatives from the council, Durham Cathedral and Durham University celebrate the completion of restoration work at North and South Bailey.

We have been carrying out extensive refurbishment on North and South Bailey, also known as The Bailey, in Durham City.

The historic streets, the name of which derives from being the outer bailey of Durham Castle, have been restored through the careful laying of natural stone footpaths and kerbs, replacement of cobbles in the carriageway and extensive resurfacing.

To maintain the area's historic character, we have preserved or re-used existing materials as much as possible, including the original cobbles.

The completion of the works was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony where Cllr John Shuttleworth, our Cabinet member for highways, rural communities and community safety, opened the street alongside our Leader, Council Amanda Hopgood, council officers and representatives from Durham Cathedral and Durham University.

More information about the works can be found at Refurbishment work at The Baileys, Durham

Preserving for the future

Cllr Shuttleworth said: "This event marks a significant milestone in preserving the heritage and improving the infrastructure of The Bailey.

"As a high footfall area and close to university buildings, The Bailey is a popular path leading to Prebends Bridge and the riverbanks. Therefore, we've carefully carried out this work to restore the footpaths and cobbled carriageway to ensure the longevity of the street and its character."

We have also restored the South Bailey gas sewer lamp. These lamps, invented by J.E. Webb in the 1890s, were designed to burn off dangerous sewer gases, including methane, which accumulated in urban Victorian sewers.