Alison is responsible for the care and management of all the Cathedral's heritage collections, from our medieval archives and manuscripts to the beautiful objects and artworks visible in the cathedral everyday.
Her remit also includes the services offered by the Cathedral Library, the curation of the exhibitions in Durham Cathedral Museum, and our archaeological excavations, everything that keeps our portable heritage safe, useful and accessible to the public as much as possible.
Background
Before joining the Cathedral, Alison was Head of Special Collections at the University of Bradford, where she was responsible for the University archives and collections relating to Yorkshire history and archaeology, modern history, pressure groups and literature. She studied medieval history at the University of York and librarianship at the University of Sheffield, and worked in academic libraries at Nottingham University and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Alison is expert in the management of special collections and rare books and published the definitive text book 'The Special Collections Handbook' (3rd edition, Facet, 2021).
Contact
Email: alison.cullingford@durhamcathedral.co.uk
Tel: 0191 386 2489
