IT is not every day that Thor himself comes to Durham.

So there was an understandable buzz around the city's Cathedral this week as it prepared to welcome the cast of an all-star superhero blockbuster.

Teams have been building the set for more than a week in preparation for filming on the latest Marvel Avengers film – starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth and Zoe Saldana.

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The cathedral was closed at around lunchtime on Thursday for filming of Avengers: Infinity War to start, which will continue until Saturday.

The cathedral, which is also due to be closed for a further day on Tuesday, May 9, was only able to confirm that it was involved in a "major project" but could not comment further.

Comic book fans, curious passer-bys and celebrity spotters were milling around Palace Green on Thursday as they tried to get a glimpse of what was going on.

It is not known which celebrities are in the city for filming but fans said they had seen Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, arriving at the cathedral's back entrance in a black vehicle.

The usual tranquillity of the cathedral was disrupted in preparation for the superheroes as teams of craftsmen and technicians made the finishing touches to the elaborate set.

While most of the nave has been covered in green screen, craftsmen have been building a carved stone balustrade, erected a huge door and decorated the aisles with six foot statues, giant urns and fire pits.

Anthony Russo, who is directing the film alongside his brother Joe, was spotted on the set on Thursday.

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With parts of the cathedral closed off, security guards closed the cathedral 40 minutes ahead of schedule because of safety concerns.

Stuart Patterson, 37, from Peterlee, said: “I’m a big fan of the Russo brothers, whatever they are doing. That’s the reason I came.

“It’s been quite relaxing and entertaining.

“I saw Anthony Russo and I think I’m still in shock and awe. My son’s at school and he’s heartbroken. He’s obsessed with Loki and Tom Hiddleston.”

Media students Emily Boughey and Bethany Lewis-Burrows, who are both 17 and go to King James I Academy in Bishop Auckland, were also hoping to catch a glimpse of the action.

Emily said: “We’re both big fans of Benedict Cumberbatch so we thought we would come. It’s the first time we’ve seen filming taking place. We do media so we wanted to see the sets.

“As soon as we heard it was happening we asked for a day off college so we could come down.”

Students Lara Kent and Emily Bevan took a break from the library to see what was going on.

Lara said: “It looks quite exciting. I wish we knew exactly what was going to be filmed.”

Emily added: “We tweeted Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jnr last night to see if they wanted to come round for dinner. We didn’t get a reply though.”

The Right Reverend Dr Graham Kings, an honorary fellow at Durham University, said: “I think it’s great. The cathedral has always been involved in the art and I think it’s crucial to have God involved in the whole of life.

“I think this is the best cathedral in the whole world and it’s important tourists come to Durham. As soon as people are in the cathedral they are over-awed and made to think about God.”

Tourist Margaret Rynberk, who was visiting from the Wirral, said: “It’s organised chaos in there. It’s interesting though and it’s good for the cathedral and will bring in a bit of money and hopefully help with the repairs.

“We have been before so we don’t mind but if it was the first time I think I might have been a bit miffed.”

Another visitor from Buckinghamshire said: “Like most filming it’s always over the top. It’s ruined the atmosphere of the cathedral today but they need the money so it’s a bit of a balance.

“For our visit today it’s not quite what we wanted but I’m still enjoying my day in Durham and I will come back.”

Student Theo Blackwell, who lives at Durham Castle, said: “It's pretty cool. I’m a big fan of the films and it’s quite a big deal. There are a lot of rumours flying around.”

Cathedral services will be going on as usual but Open Treasure is closed during filming. Additional tours of the World Heritage Site are taking place while the cathedral is closed.

Filming on the production, which is due to be released on May 4, 2018, started at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in America in January and has been going on in Scotland since February, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands set to feature.

No-one from Marvel was available to comment.