Tickets to see three rare Magna Cartas at Durham Cathedral

Tickets are now available to see the three rare Magna Cartas, at Durham Cathedral for the first time in eight years. The Heritage Fund has helped fund many projects at Durham Cathedral, including a £3.9m grant to the opening of Durham Cathedral Museum in 2016. With three clauses from the 1225 Magna Carta still in force today, the document remains a cornerstone of British democracy. Alison Cullingford, Head of Libraries and Collections at Durham Cathedral says,“We care for an extensive medieval archive here at Durham Cathedral and the Magna Cartas and Forest Charters are some of the most remark

Tickets are now available to see the three rare Magna Cartas, at Durham Cathedral for the first time in eight years. From 11 July to 2 November 2025, visitors will be able to see the rare documents as part of a new exhibition,  Magna Carta and the North. Tickets to see the exhibition, Magna Carta and the North in Durham Cathedral's Museum launched today, on the Heritage Fund's Heritage Treasure Day,  a day that celebrates heritage projects, venues and treasures. The Heritage Fund has helped fund many projects at Durham Cathedral, including a £3.9m grant to the opening of Durham Cathedral Museum in 2016. The exhibition will showcase for the first time in eight years the only surviving 1216 Magna Carta, along with issues from 1225 and 1300, and three Forest Charters - practical documents granting access to land and natural resources. Magna Carta, or the ‘Great Charter’, has been described as the most famous document in English history and a cornerstone of modern democracy. First issued in 1215, it was the first document that put into writing that the king and his government were not above the law, in order to prevent the king from exploiting his power. With three clauses from the 1225 Magna Carta still in force today, the document remains a cornerstone of British democracy. Alison Cullingford, Head of Libraries and Collections at Durham Cathedral says, The last time the Magna Cartas and the Forest Charters were on display at Durham Cathedral was in the summer of 2017 when almost 19,000 people came to see them over an 11-week period. The Dean of Durham, The Very Revd Dr Philip Plyming says, To celebrate the anniversary and the display of these rare surviving documents, the cathedral is also planning to host temporary installations and community-focused artworks throughout the cathedral that will tell the story of these 800-year-old documents that are still a powerful symbol of social justice in the world today. Andrew Usher, Chief Officer for Visitor Experience and Enterprise says, From 11 July to 2 November, visitors will be able to get up close to the documents in the Durham Cathedral Museum. Tickets are now available, at £7.50 for adults and will be free for under 18s. For more information visit www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/magnacarta