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The first phase of restoring a city's oldest standing building has been completed.

The Norman Chapel at Durham Castle was built in about 1080 AD and its stonework has severe damp and is decaying.

Repairs have been carried out since November 2022 but it will take about five years for the structure to completely dry out, Durham University said.

This will help prevent further damage and more restoration work on the building is planned, a spokesperson said.

The 952-year-old Grade I listed building is part of the Durham Castle and Cathedral UNESCO World Heritage Site and Durham University’s University College.

The initial restoration work involved building a five-metre (16ft) deep trench around the outer wall of the chapel to remove the build-up of earth causing the damp.

This exposed buried windows and walls which had not seen sunlight for centuries, a spokesperson said.

It also revealed the chapel's original exterior wall.

During the works, experts made a 3D recording of the structure using lasers and photography and the team is now using this information to work out how best to preserve the chapel's stonework for the future.

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