Shops & Services In and Around Bishop Auckland County Durham Lying in the foothills of the North Pennines and bounded by two rivers, the Wear and the Gaunless, Bishop Auckland serves as the Market Town for the Wear Valley. With evidence of human habitation since prehistoric times the modern town continues to develop. In a region with a strong Market Tradition the town of today, together with it's neighbouring towns, offers a diverse and evolving range of Shops and Services and plans are now in place for significant New Developments. It was an important trading place for the Romans whose fort and settlement of

Vinovium lay just along the river. It developed as a focal point during the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the Railways, and traces of bygone trades remain enshrined in the street names of the town today – Tenters Street, Saddlers Street and Silver Street.

At the north end of the Town Centre lies a large Market Square surrounded by a range of shops, pubs and eating places and dominated by the magnificent Town Hall built in French gothic revival style.

The town’s main shopping streets meet at this focal point. The Bondgates (home to a number of exciting new specialist shops, and the new Helioscity development), and Newgate Street linking the old markets with the Supermarkets as it follows the old Roman road of Dere Street to the railway station and on to the business area of Cockton Hill – one of the longest main streets in the country.