The Auckland Project

The Auckland Project represents a group of heritage projects taking place in Bishop Auckland, County Durham which combines themes of art, faith, and history through a series of galleries, gardens, and heritage attractions. Showcasing the historical links between the local area and the Golden Age of Spanish Art, the development has increased tourist attraction to County Durham, many of whom are themselves disabled people.

Direct Access was commissioned for the project to ensure that the development met requirements for inclusivity and disabled access, ensuring appropriate wayfinding, accessible routes, and facility interpretation. 

Our consultancy team delivered three separate accessibility audits, access appraisals, and design reviews, including those of Auckland Castle, the Spanish Gallery, the Mining Gallery, and the Faith Museum.

As a regeneration charity, The Auckland Project has a long-term mission to create positive change for those living, working, and visiting Bishop Auckland. Direct Access has worked to ensure that Auckland Castle and the town’s many other attractions contribute towards a future that is as magnificent and vibrant as the town’s past and can be accessed to its full extent by disabled people, local, tourist, or otherwise.

The Auckland Project was funded and coordinated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Visit England, and This is Durham. It is one of many National Lottery Funded reinterpretation projects our team has collaborated on, which also includes Vicars Close in Wells, Somerset, England.