THE past, present and future of one of County Durham’s oldest towns is being explored in a series of free weekly tours led by local volunteers.

Trained volunteers from the Auckland Castle Trust are giving visitors to Bishop Auckland guided walks around the Market Place.

Stops on the route will include the 12th Century St Anne’s Church, the French Gothic style Town Hall, built in 1861 and the site of the former Doggart’s department store, which opened in 1895.

Other highlights on the tour will include the Robinson Arch outside Auckland Castle, once a private residence for the Prince Bishops of Durham, along with a number of empty buildings that have now been acquired by the Auckland Castle Trust, as part of the charity’s £70m plans to revitalise the town.

Louise Costello, visitor experience manager at Auckland Castle Trust, said: “With work on many of Auckland Castle Trust’s future plans now well underway, we thought it was a perfect time to celebrate the history of the town and look forward to the developments ahead.”

Tours will depart from No.42 Bishop Auckland Market Place every Thursday at 12.30pm, Friday at 2pm and Saturday at 11am.

Places do not need to be booked. For more details, visit aucklandcastle.org/events, call 01388-743797 or email bookings@aucklandcastle.org