Diocese of Durham

The diocese of Durham is a diocese of the Church of England in North East England. The boundaries of the diocese are the historic boundaries of County Durham, meaning it includes the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne and contemporary County Durham north of the River Tees. It contains 249 parishes and 292 churches. Durham Cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham, and the diocesan offices are located just outside the city at Stonebridge. The bishop lives in Bishop Auckland and has offices in Auckland Castle. The diocese is the successor to the diocese of Lindisfarne, founded in 635, which moved its seat to Chester-le-Street in 882 and subsequently moved again to Durham in 995. Most of Northumberland and the part of Tyne and Wear north of the Tyne were part of the diocese until 1882, when the diocese of Newcastle was created.