Tiny rundown UK town where abandoned shops line the streets is being transformed by one man in £200million refurb
A TINY rundown town where abandoned shops line the streets is being transformed by one man in a £200 million refurbishment job.
Billionaire Jonathan Ruffer is splashing the cash to breathe life back into a tired northern town.
The mega-rich City investor and art buff is backing a project by charity Auckland Project to turn Bishop Auckland, County Durham, from a ghost town into a top tourist hotspot.
The high street has been full of boarded-up shops and shuttered cafes in recent years.
But now it is seeing signs of a stunning revival thanks to Jonathan’s cash injection.
He bought up Bishop’s Palace for £11m to stop a set of priceless Zurbarán paintings being shipped off abroad.
The palace’s lush gardens alone have swallowed nearly £10m, with £300k spent on topsoil alone.
The revamped Paradise Garden even has a heated wall for growing melons, and a stylish new cross-shaped water feature designed by top garden guru Pip Morrison.
Meanwhile, the Grade II-listed McIntyre’s, once a posh leather shop, has reopened as a cute cafe flogging handmade crafts and £6 artisan chocolate.
The shop also offers work experience to youngsters – as well as career and educational resources.
Its hospitality coordinator, Fiona MacAlpine, told the Telegraph that the project had had a “fab” impact on the area.
She added: “Bishop [Aukland] was dying. Things had to change.”
The project has also been praised by businessman Gary Ewing – who opened a cycle shop on the newly buzzy highstreet.
He recalled how after seeing “the improvements that all this regeneration would bring”, he “opted to establish ourselves in the town centre”, adding: “It’s been tough, but we’ve no regrets.”
However, not everyone has been thrilled by the town’s dramatic makeover.
Some have dubbed the Auckland Tower, for example – a 15-metre-high viewing platform that was introduced as part of the refurb – a “sore thumb”.
It is hoped that one million annual visitors will eventually come to the town – which has also seen the addition of two art galleries under the project.
Plus, a whopping 60-room hotel, called The Northside Hotel, is set to open in 2027.
It comes after Porthcawl in Wales also saw a £20 million makeover to its seafront area, including a number of new attractions being built and a £4million makeover of the historic Grand Pavillion theatre.
The much-loved art deco theatre closed in February 2024 for the construction work.
It will now be re-opened with enhanced facilities, giving the building a new lease of life.