In this article in the Northern Echo Helen outlines her opposition to the proposed sale of Auckland Castle and the Zurbaran paintings.
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When I opened the envelope containing the leaked documents that revealed that the Church Commissioners planned to sell the Zurbaran paintings in Auckland Castle, I was shocked.
That shock turned to horror when it became apparent that it might not just be the paintings that are to be sold, but the castle as well.
My reaction was because a much-loved, much-visited and hugely significant part of our culture was being sold; and because the sale was being conducted secretly and, shockingly, without any thought for the impact on the local community.
So why do these paintings matter and what do they symbolise?
Firstly, these are remarkable paintings of great artistic merit, which is why they are so valuable and why so many people come to see them.
Francisco de Zurbaran was a Spanish religious painter and his works are a treasure in the North-East. I believe it is really important that works of art are not all concentrated in London. Why should we have to go on a 300- mile journey to look at paintings? The North- East is already set to bear the brunt of the coalition Government’s spending cuts, and it would be quite wrong to strip us of our culture as well.
The Zurbarans have been hanging in Auckland Castle since 1756, when the Bishop of Durham, Richard Trevor, bought them as a sign both of his sympathy with the Jewish community and his anger that Parliament had repealed his Bill allowing Jews to become full British citizens. They were the only paintings he ever bought and he had the Long Dining Room specially extended to accommodate them.
SO they are important cultural and historical pieces and a sign of our community’s long tradition of tolerance and acceptance.
Indeed, given recent concerns about increasing racism, they are, if anything, more relevant now than they have been for many years.
Put simply, they belong in Auckland Castle, and it would be quite wrong for them to leave.
When we were collecting names for the petition against the sale on Saturday, everyone in Newgate Street said the same thing: “It’s our heritage.”
Auckland Castle has been the seat of the Bishop of Durham for almost 900 years and it is a key part of our local identity. As The Northern Echo’s editorial said last week: “What would Bishop Auckland be without a Bishop?”
The castle, of course, is visited by large numbers of people every year. The parklands and gardens are open to the whole community, and the castle hosts regular community events and open days throughout the year.
Let us be honest: without Auckland Castle, the centre of our town would be completely off the beaten track. I think we do need a better strategy for managing the castle and grounds so that they become the focus for the development of tourism and an engine of regeneration.
Bishop Auckland is County Durham’s bestkept secret; it is has huge potential as a place of pilgrimage between Durham and Escomb, and the site overlooking the Wear is beautiful and dramatic. We could make so much more of this.
I gather that the Church Commissioners take the view that Durham, as a poor diocese, is already receiving significant subsidies to pay for our clergy and this should be paid by selling the Zurbarans. But selling the family silver is never a route to sustainable improvement.
You can only do it once.
Instead of asset-stripping, we should be allowed to keep our resources and build on them to develop our local economy so the town can flourish and become fully self-sustaining. This is, of course, the same principle as the Church advocates on fair trade.
In the 19th Century, the Church was happy to take the income from mining in Stanhope, which was described as “the richest living in England”. Now we cannot provide such an income, but that does not mean that the Church Commisioners should behave like latter-day Prince Bishops sitting in their offices overlooking the Thames and deciding what should happen to a community 300 miles away.
It is also important that the Bishop continues to live in Auckland Castle. This is a symbol of the Church’s mission to stand alongside all communities across the nation; particularly those that might otherwise be forgotten or overlooked.
Auckland Castle is a spiritual and emotional anchor for the people of Bishop Auckland.
The Church should celebrate the fact that the heart of the town is a religious one and should see it as an opportunity for regeneration and positive change.
In order to show the Church Commissioners the strength of local feeling in the community, I urge people to sign our petition. If you would like further copies of the petition for your church, school, workplace or community centre, call my Bishop Auckland office, on 01388-603075, or download it from my website helengoodman.co.uk
