Editing Durham, England (section)

==Geography==
===General===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
!Place
!Distance
!Direction
!Relation
|-
|[[London]]
|{{Convert|234|miles|km}}
|South
|Capital
|-
|[[Darlington]]
|{{Convert|17|miles|km}}
|South
|Largest place in the county
|-
|[[South Shields]]
|{{Convert|16|miles|km}}
|North east
|Combined authority area
|-
|[[Gateshead]]
|{{Convert|12|miles|km}}
|North
|Combined authority area
|-
|[[Sunderland]]
|{{Convert|11|miles|km}}
|North east
|Next nearest city
|-
|[[Washington, Tyne and Wear|Washington]]
|{{Convert|8|miles|km}}
|North east
|Combined authority area
|-
|[[Chester-le-Street]]
|{{convert|7|miles}}
|North
|Nearby large town
|}
[[File:River Wear Durham - geograph.org.uk - 3606971.jpg|thumb|The River Wear at Durham, looking toward Milburngate Bridge]]
The [[River Wear]] flows north through the city, making an incised [[meander]] which encloses the centre on three sides to form Durham's [[peninsula]].
At the base of the peninsula is the Market Place, which still hosts regular markets; a permanent indoor market, [[Durham Indoor Market]], is also situated just off the Market Place. The Market Place and surrounding streets are one of the main commercial and shopping areas of the city. From the Market Place, [[the Bailey]] leads south past [[Palace Green]]; The Bailey is almost entirely owned and occupied by the university and the cathedral.

Durham is a hilly city, claiming to be built upon the symbolic seven hills. Upon the most central and prominent position high above the Wear, the cathedral dominates the skyline. The steep riverbanks are densely wooded, adding to the picturesque beauty of the city. West of the city centre, another river, the [[River Browney]], drains south to join the Wear to the south of the city.
[[File:Saddler Street (geograph 7152859).jpg|thumb|Saddler Street looking to the market square]]
There are three old roads out of the Market Place: Saddler Street heads south-east, towards [[Elvet Bridge]], the Bailey and [[Prebends Bridge]]. Elvet Bridge leads to the [[Elvet]] area of the city, Durham Prison and the south; Prebends Bridge is smaller and provides access from the Bailey to south Durham. Heading west, Silver Street leads out of the Market Place towards [[Framwellgate Bridge]] and North Road, the other main shopping area of the city. From here, the city spreads out into the [[Framwelgate]], [[Crossgate (Durham)|Crossgate]], [[Neville's Cross]] and viaduct districts, which are largely residential areas. Beyond the viaduct lie the outlying districts of [[Framwellgate Moor]] and [[Neville's Cross]]. Heading north from the Market Place leads to Claypath. The road curves back round to the east and beyond it lie [[Gilesgate]], Gilesgate Moor and Dragonville.

==== Green belt ====
{{further|North East Green Belt}}
As part of the wider Tyne and Wear Green Belt area, Durham's portion extends beyond its urban area extents of Framwellgate Moor/[[Pity Me]], [[Elvet]] and Belmont, it being completely surrounded by [[Green belt (United Kingdom)|green belt]]. This primarily helps to maintain separation from Chester-le-Street,<ref>{{cite web|title=County Durham Core Evidence Base Technical Paper No. 6 Settlements and Green Belt -COUNTY DURHAM GREEN BELT Rationale|url=http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/3373/Technical-paper-No6---Settlements-and-greenbelt/pdf/TechPaper6SettlementsAndGreenbelt.pdf|website=www.durham.gov.uk|access-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127202854/http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/3373/Technical-paper-No6---Settlements-and-greenbelt/pdf/TechPaper6SettlementsAndGreenbelt.pdf|archive-date=27 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and restrain expansion of the city and coalescence with nearby villages such as [[Bearpark]], Great Lumley and [[Sherburn, County Durham|Sherburn]]. Landscape features and facilities within the green belt area include Raintonpark Wood, Belmont Viaduct, Ramside Hall, Durham City Golf Course, the River Wear, Browney and [[River Browney|Deerness]] basins, and Durham University Botanic Gardens. It was first drawn up in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|title=PLANNING AND HIGHWAYS COMMITTEE 21 NOVEMBER 2012 THE COUNTY DURHAM PLAN, LOCAL PLAN PREFERED &#91;sic&#93; OPTIONS|url=http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Committees/CMIS5/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=UXlG9YIuWOXT3oSzsd4qyyYI37i5pfQnFOhsx65vFgzVYpJd0YmhOg%3D%3D&rUzwRPf%2BZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3D%3D=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2FLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3D%3D&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&kCx1AnS9%2FpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2BAJvYtyA%3D%3D=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&FgPlIEJYlotS%2BYGoBi5olA%3D%3D=NHdURQburHA%3D&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3D|website=www.sunderland.gov.uk|access-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122154007/http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Committees/CMIS5/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=UXlG9YIuWOXT3oSzsd4qyyYI37i5pfQnFOhsx65vFgzVYpJd0YmhOg%3D%3D&rUzwRPf%2BZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3D%3D=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2FLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3D%3D&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&kCx1AnS9%2FpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2BAJvYtyA%3D%3D=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&FgPlIEJYlotS%2BYGoBi5olA%3D%3D=NHdURQburHA%3D&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3D|archive-date=22 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Historical===
[[File:Scott inscription (Prebends Bridge).jpg|thumb|[[Sir Walter Scott]]'s words on Durham are inscribed into Prebends Bridge]]
The historic city centre of Durham has changed little over 200 years. It is made up of the peninsula containing the cathedral, palace green, former administrative buildings for the [[palatine]] and [[Durham Castle]].<ref name="Symeon" /> This was a strategic defensive decision by the city's founders and gives the cathedral a striking position.<ref name="Richardson" /> So much so that Symeon of Durham stated:
<blockquote>
To see Durham is to see the English [[Zion|Sion]] and by doing so one may save oneself a trip to [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="Symeon" /></blockquote>

Sir [[Walter Scott]] was so inspired by the view of the cathedral from [[South Street (Durham)|South Street]]<ref>{{Cite journal| last=Buchan | first=John | title=Sir Walter Scott | publisher=Cassell | year=1932 }}</ref> that he wrote "Harold the Dauntless", a poem about Saxons and Vikings set in [[County Durham]] and published on 30 January 1817. The following lines from the poem are carved into a stone tablet on Prebends Bridge:
{{poemquote|
Grey towers of Durham
Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles
Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot
And long to roam those venerable aisles
With records stored of deeds long since forgot.<ref>{{Cite journal
|last= Scott
|first= Walter
|author-link= Walter Scott
|title= Harold the Dauntless
|year= 1817
|publisher=James Eastburn & co
}}</ref>}}

The old commercial section of the city encompasses the peninsula on three sides, following the River Wear. The peninsula was historically surrounded by the castle wall extending from the castle [[keep]] and broken by two gatehouses to the north and west of the enclosure.<ref name="Surtees" /> After extensive remodelling and "much beautification"<ref name="Surtees" /> by the [[Victorian era|Victorians]] the walls were removed with the exception of the [[gatehouse]] which is still standing on [[the Bailey]].

The medieval city was made up of the cathedral, castle and administrative buildings on the peninsula.<ref name="Liddy" /> The outlying areas were known as the townships and owned by the bishop,<ref name="Symeon" /> the most famous of these being [[Gilesgate]] (which still contains the mediaeval [[St Giles Church, Durham|St Giles Church]]), Claypath and [[Elvet]].<ref name="Surtees" />

The outlying commercial section of the city, especially around the North Road area, saw much change in the 1960s during a redevelopment spearheaded by [[Durham (district)|Durham City Council]]; however, much of the original [[mediaeval]] street plan remains intact in the area close to the cathedral and market place.<ref name="Surtees" /> Most of the mediaeval buildings in the commercial area of the city have disappeared apart from the [[House of Correction]] and the Chapel of Saint Andrew, both under [[Elvet Bridge]].<ref name="Surtees" /> [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] buildings can still be found on the Bailey and Old Elvet<ref name="Surtees" /> most of which make up the colleges of Durham University.

===Climate===
The table below gives the average temperature, rainfall and sunshine figures taken between 1981 and 2010, and extreme temperatures back to 1850 for the weather station at [[Durham University Observatory]]:

{{Durham weatherbox}}

Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Durham has a [[temperate]] climate. At {{convert|675.65|mm|in|0}},<ref name="DH Climate">{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcwzefp2c|title= Durham 1991–2020 averages|website= [[Met Office]]|access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref> the average annual rainfall is lower than the national average of {{convert|1162.70|mm|in|0}}.<ref name="DH Climate"/> Equally there are only an average of 124.14 days<ref name="DH Climate" /> where more than {{convert|1|mm|in|2}} of rain falls compared with a national average of 159.08 days.<ref name="DH Climate" /> The city sees an average of 1479.95 hours of sunshine per year,<ref name="DH Climate" /> compared with a national average of 1402.61 hours.<ref name="DH Climate" /> There is [[frost (temperature)|frost]] on 46.81 days<ref name="DH Climate" /> compared with a national average of 53.36 days.<ref name="DH Climate" /> Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures are {{convert|13.20|and|5.71|°C|°F|1}}<ref name="DH Climate" /> compared with a national averages of {{convert|12.79|and|5.53|°C|°F|1}} respectively.<ref name="DH Climate" />

Durham has the second longest weather record in England, with continuous daily records since August 1843. The coldest temperature recorded was in February 1895, falling to {{convert|-18.0|°C|°F|1}}, and the hottest was in July 2022, reaching {{convert|36.9|°C|°F|1}}, beating the previous record from July 2019 by {{convert|4.0|°C|°F|1}}. The wettest day since homogeneous rainfall records began in 1876 was in September 1976, with {{convert|87.8|mm|in}} falling in 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://durhamweather.webspace.durham.ac.uk/a-brief-summary-of-durhams-climate/|title=A brief summary of Durham's climate|website=Durham Weather|publisher=Durham University|access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://durhamweather.webspace.durham.ac.uk/annual-summary-2022|title= The weather at Durham in 2022|website=Durham Weather|publisher=Durham University|access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref>

===Demography===
The [[county town]] of County Durham, until 2009, Durham was located in the [[Durham (district)|City of Durham]] local government district. This extended beyond the city, and had a total population of 87,656 in 2001, covering 186.68 square kilometres in 2007.<ref name="areas">{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/geography/products/geog-products-other/sam/standard-area-measurements.zip |title=Standard Area Measurements for Statistical Outputs for Geographies in the United Kingdom as at 31 December 2007 |date=August 2009 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=23 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110163233/http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/geography/products/geog-products-other/sam/standard-area-measurements.zip |archive-date=10 January 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2001, the [[unparished area]] of Durham had a population of 29,091, whilst the built-up area of Durham had a population of 42,939.<ref name="durham city 2011">{{cite web |url=http://durobs.durham.gov.uk/ia/ia1008/ |title=Census 2011: Durham |work=2011 Census |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=28 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319163555/http://durobs.durham.gov.uk/ia/ia1008/ |archive-date=19 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="parish count">{{cite web |url=http://www.durham.gov.uk/PDFApproved/ParishSummarySheetsCounts.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100108145237/http://www.durham.gov.uk/PDFApproved/ParishSummarySheetsCounts.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 January 2010 |title=2001 Census Summary Sheet Indicators for County Durham Parish Boundaries |publisher=Durham County Council |access-date=23 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="urban areas">{{cite book |title=Census 2001: Key Statistics for Urban Areas in the North |year=2000 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |location=London |isbn=0-11-621744-8 |page=54 |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_1.pdf |access-date=23 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20040724074938/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_1.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2004 }}</ref> Many of the inner city areas are now inhabited by students living in shared housing.