OPEN Treasure, Durham Cathedral’s museum, is to offer curator-led guided tours for the first time this winter.

Between December 16 and January 17, visitors who buy an Open Treasure ticket will have the option to add-on a guided tour of the exhibition space for free. Experienced and knowledgeable Open Treasure staff will lead the tours.

Durham Cathedral exhibitions officer Marie-Therese Mayne said: “This is the first time we’ve offered curator-led guided tours of Open Treasure and we are all really excited to see how they’re received. We hope that this experience will allow visitors to delve deeper into the rich history of Durham Cathedral, and to learn more about our patron saint of the North, St Cuthbert and his treasures, as well as engage with the ever-changing temporary exhibitions in our Collections Gallery.”

The tours will take place over three weeks, beginning on 16 December. There will be a break over the Christmas period, with the tours resuming the weeks commencing 6 January and 13 January.

Two tour slots will be available on each date, Monday to Friday. The morning session will start at 11.30am and the afternoon at 2.15pm. The tours will last around 45 minutes and will be subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis.

Open Treasure will also be trialling new winter opening hours between December 1 and January 18. The museum space will be open from Monday–Saturday, 11am-4pm, and on Sunday from 12.30pm-4pm. Last admission will be 3pm each day.

In readiness for the new temporary exhibition, Restoration, Redesign, Renovation: Durham Cathedral in the 19th century, normal opening hours will resume on 27 January 2020. These are Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm, and Sunday from 12.30pm-5pm.

Tickets can be booked by visiting https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/opentreasure, or on 0191-37447178 or in person at the cathedral.