Four months of celebrations to mark Ushaw College’s 200th anniversary are under way with the opening of an exhibition that runs until July. The exhibition, which is FREE, focuses the college’s origins, history, people and artefacts. It will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm, until Sunday 13th July.

Fr Philip Gillespie, acting President at Ushaw College, said the exhibition would be a great opportunity to open the college to the outside world. He said: ‘Ushaw College is a hidden gem. I think we’ve been very aware that the temptation was to celebrate the bicentenary purely internally. It’s great for us who breathe its atmosphere day in day out, but for those who’ve heard of Ushaw College, but driven past without ever coming up the drive, this is the opportunity to come in and see what it’s like.’

Organisers have prepared a wide variety of events to mark the college’s bicentenary. As well as the exhibition, there will be a fun weekend on 14th and 15th June, with jousting, falconry, jesters, a hog roast and medieval music. A medieval banquet will also take place on the evening of 14th June. There will be a Flower Festival from 12th to 15th June, and a series of concerts in April, May and June.

As well as the events, Ushaw College has also commissioned two wines to be sold under a unique Ushaw College label ‘The Ushavian 200’. A book is now on sale, priced £25.00.

Ushaw College is the seminary in the North of England for the formation of Catholic priests, deacons, religious and lay ministers. Founded in Douai, in the North East of France, in 1568, it has occupied its present site, four miles west of Durham City, since 1808. It has strong ecumenical links with Cranmer Hall and the Wesley Study Centre in Durham, and it became a Licensed Hall of Durham University in 1968.

For further information or to buy tickets for any events, contact Kathryn Alderson at Ushaw College on 0191 373 8579 or on bicentenary@ushaw.ac.uk