The first phase of Open Treasure was completed in autumn 2012. The project sought to create a world-class visitor experience. It involved providing access to some of the Cathedral’s most important treasures and previously hidden architecture. New choir vestries are now in use and a new cathedral shop, with a fully accessible foyer, was opened by Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson.

The next phase will see the creation of new exhibition spaces in buildings around the medieval cloister and essential fabric repairs to cloistral buildings. The cathedral will also offer a rolling programme of exhibitions including items loaned from other prestigious museums, art galleries and collections.

Durham Cathedral and its collections are regarded a Europe’s greatest Romanesque Cathedral. Its origins date back to the first millennium when the Community of St Cuthbert settled in Durham. The current building was started in 1093 and took 40 years to complete.