The future of Auckland Castle, the historic home of the Bishops of Durham, is secure with the announcement of a £9 million cash grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Auckland, which houses the priceless Zurbarán Paintings, will now be transformed into a world-class arts and cultural centre, including a two-storey museum extension, creating 130 jobs.
The grant will also finance the complete renovation of the centuries-old castle's state rooms, from where the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham once ruled the North. It will put the beautiful city of Durham even more firmly on the tourist map and help revitalise both the Church and the secular business sector.
The announcement represents a triumph for campaigners in the arts, Church and voluntary sectors who resisted the sell-off of the castle or the paintings. The present Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was previously Bishop of Durham.
Auckland Castle Trust's Chief Executive, David Ronn, said he was "absolutely delighted" by the grant, one of the biggest made by the Fund in the North East.
"It is fantastic news not just for Auckland Castle but the whole area, a real vote of public confidence. The decision comes on the back of two years of hard work by a great many people.
"To say that we are absolutely delighted is an understatement, and the size of this award proves that the North East is taken seriously by the Heritage Lottery Fund."
He said the value of the grant to both Auckland Castle and the immediate area could not be understated. "The work it will allow us to do at the castle, and all the activity that will flow from that – jobs, training and volunteering opportunities – will play a major part in helping to breathe new life into Bishop Auckland.
"Regeneration and growth, both of the castle and the town, has always been central to the trust's long-term plans, and the development of a new museum wing and the renovation of the castle go to the heart of that."
Chris Mullin, Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East, said: "This project clearly demonstrates how by investing in heritage, the National Lottery can have a direct impact on the economic health of our local communities.
"Thanks to Lottery players, this investment in Auckland Castle will not only restore this nationally important part of our heritage, it will help regenerate the local economy of Bishop Auckland, which has suffered more than most from the decline of traditional industries."
The Auckland Castle Trust has pledged £7m towards the total £17m cost of the project, which includes a museum extension and overall restoration scheme, with the new grant making up the remainder.
The museum extension will be built on to the existing 16th-century Scotland Wing and will house a new immersive museum experience over 11 galleries exploring the history of faith in the British Isles.
The building, designed by Niall McLaughlin in association with Purcell and which echoes wooden Anglo Saxon churches of the 6th and 7th centuries, was granted planning permission by Durham County Council in April.
The exhibition will include a dynamic multi-media installation presenting works of art and artefacts covering pre-history to the present, from the earliest art created by humans to to the impact of faith on the formation of contemporary society.
Among the remarkable and powerful items that will be on display will be the Cottingham Tank, a Viking lead font that is a fusion of Pagan and Christian beliefs.
The Auckland Castle Trust has also acquired four rare stained glass panels from Compton Verney that were among the last to be made before the Reformation, and two striking Bronze Age swords that were deliberately deposited as votive offerings.
Work on this and the renovation of the Scotland Wing will begin in spring 2016.
Phase two within the castle will see the palace home of the Prince Bishops returned to its former grandeur. All the work will be completed by 2018.
The 13 paintings by Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán are the reason the Auckland Castle Trust came into being and the Trust will ensure that the paintings stay in their rightful place.
Bishop Richard Trevor bought 12 of the paintings of Jacob and his Twelve Sons with his own money in 1756. He was outbid at auction for the 13th, but employed prominent artist Arthur Pond to make an exact copy.
The purchase and display of the paintings by Bishop Trevor was a meaningful and deliberate act at a time when religious tolerance, especially towards Jewish people, was in short supply.
The Church Commissioners had voted to sell the the paintings in 2001 but the plans were shelved after investment manager Jonathan Ruffer gave £15 million to vest them and the castle in the Auckland Castle Trust.
