The project is one of a series of interventions sponsored by the philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer and aimed at preserving the castle of Bishop Auckland, with a view to promoting the town – located at the confluence of the rivers Wear and Gaunless, in Durham County, England – as a visitor destination.

The museum, which explores British history through the lens of faith is sited along the line of a medieval retaining wall of the listed historical complex. The external envelope of local sandstone, quarried in Northumberland, is a smooth ashlar walling that extends to the pitched roof. Architectural details – such as roof finials – enhance the simple barn form. The texturized stone – cut and placed in varied patterns – recalls the weathered surfaces of nearby constructions molded by the passage of time.

AV Monografías 264: Níall McLaughlin