| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Palace Green from oppositeDurham Cathedral | |
 Interactive map of Palace Green | |
| Location | Durham, England |
| Part of | Durham Castle and Cathedral |
| Reference | 370bis |
| Inscription | 1986 (10thSession) |
| Extensions | 2008 |
| Coordinates | 54°46′28″N1°34′33″W / 54.77444°N 1.57583°W /54.77444; -1.57583 |
  Palace Green Location of Palace Green in Durham, England | |
Palace Green is an open space in the centre ofDurham, England, flanked byDurham Cathedral andDurham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
Although initially not part of the site itself, Palace Green was added to theUNESCO site in 2008.[1][2]
It is situated on top ofthe narrow, high peninsula formed by a sharp bend in theRiver Wear. The Cathedral is on the southern side, facing the Castle across the Green on the north side. To the east areDurham University buildings including the law, theology, classics and history departments, with the music department and the university's special collections library to the west.
From the north and east Palace Green is accessed by two cobbled streets called Owengate (formerly Queen's Street) andDun Cow Lane, the latter taking its name from a local legend involving a milkmaid and her cow. From the west a passageway, 'Windy Gap', leads down to the banks of the River Wear between two buildings which are now part of the university Music School. Early in the twentieth century one of the buildings had been the home of the novelistJ. Meade Falkner, author ofMoonfleet.
In summer, Palace Green is sometimes used by students ofDurham University as a croquet lawn on permission from the groundsman ofUniversity College Durham.[3][4]
'Palace Green' is also the name of ahymn tune written by Michael Fleming (1928–2006) while a music student at the university, for thehymn 'Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above'.[5]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, marquees on Palace Green were used as a testing centre run by the University.[6] It was also the site of a student encampment for 43 days in May and June 2024 as part of the globalpro-Palestinian protests on university campuses that year.[7]
Listed clockwise from south:
