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

Durham County Council has finished extensive refurbishment of North and South Bailey, also known as The Bailey, in Durham City.

The historic streets, named for their position as the outer bailey of Durham Castle, have been carefully restored with the use of natural stone footpaths and kerbs, the replacement of cobbles in the carriageway, and significant resurfacing efforts. In a bid to maintain the area’s historical character, the council has preserved and reused existing materials where possible, including many of the original cobblestones.


The completion of the restoration was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where Cllr John Shuttleworth, Cabinet Member for Highways, Rural Communities, and Community Safety, officially opened the street. He was joined by Council Leader Amanda Hopgood, council officers and representatives from Durham Cathedral and Durham University.

As part of the restoration, the South Bailey gas sewer lamp, invented by J.E. Webb in the 1890s, was also restored. The lamps were designed to burn off dangerous sewer gases, including methane, which had built up in Victorian urban sewers and their return is a nod to the area's Victorian history.