Kynren

Kynren is a historical tourist attraction, based on the 11Arches site on Flatts Farm in Bishop Auckland. Kynren: An Epic Tale of England () is a live outdoor show, which has run since 2016. The 90-minute performance depicts vital moments in British history and myth spanning 2000 years. This includes the Roman conquest of Britain, King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail, and Winston Churchill's "Finest Hour” speech during WW2, and many more. Kynren are currently developing a daytime historical theme park, called Kynren: The Storied Lands which is due to open in summer 2026.

Kynren is run by 11Arches, which is a charity based in Bishop Auckland. 11Arches is one of the two charities established in Bishop Auckland by Jonathan Ruffer, the other being The Auckland Project. Together, the aim of the charities is to establish Bishop Auckland as an international tourist destination, attracting visitors and investment which will contribute to the betterment of the area and empower the community. Kynren: An Epic Tale of England's cast and crew of 1000 are all volunteers and are all from the local area.

History

Established in 2014, 11Arches (then Eleven Arches) began operating on the 2 July 2016 when it presented the first season of Kynren: An Epic Tale of England, a sold out, open-air summer spectacular templated from the award-winning Cinéscénie produced by Puy du Fou in France. Kynren: An Epic Tale of England was created thanks to an initial £35m investment, funded entirely by charitable donations, and has since operated on previous year’s proceeds.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 Kynren was cancelled its season that year. During the cancelled season Jonathan Ruffer sponsored the costs to keep the site running and ready for the next season. Ticket sales were 24,476 in 2022 and 33,048 in 2023.

In 2021 11Arches Park was opened to the public, featuring a new equestrian stunt show "Fina and The Golden Cape" as the main attraction, which was a huge success. 11Arches Park also featured "The Maze Of Fame", Live Music, the Animal Croft, the "Dancing Waters" show and the "Viking Village". In 2022 11Arches decided not to open the Park and to allow for more to be added before reopening as a day attraction

In February 2024, Anna Warnecke, previously Director of Cavalry, became the new 11Arches CEO with Anne-Isabelle Daulon leaving the charity. 2024 also marked Kynren's best audience levels since opening in 2016, with over 44,000 tickets sold.

In 2025, 11Arches announced the opening of a new day-time historical theme park offering for the 2026 season called Kynren: The Storied Lands. 2025 also marks Kynren’s tenth anniversary season.

Kynren: An Epic Tale of England

Kynren: An Epic Tale of England is a live action, volunteer run night show telling 2000 years of English history.

Plot

Kynren: An Epic Tale of England is narrated by Arthur, a fictional ten-year-old boy who travels back in time to witness pivotal moments in the history of the British Isles. The show does have a soft focus on the North East of England.

The opening scene echoes an event that really did take place in the 1880s, when a young cleric’s exuberant kick ultimately led to the Bishop banishing football in the Castle grounds. This prompted the birth of ‘The Blues’ – Bishop Auckland FC – the most successful amateur football club of all time. By passing through the Gatehouse of Time, the young Arthur is able to journey through history. The Gatehouse on the Kynren stage is a replica of the Robinson Arch which marks the formal entrance to the grounds of Auckland Castle. Arthur then travels through time exploring and seeing different important aspects of British History.

Kynren: The Storied Lands

Kynren: The Storied Lands is the day time offering, described as a "time traveling theme park", with phase 1 set to open in summer 2026. On opening, the park is set to include 5 shows:

* Fina - A horse stunt show (an adapted version of the previously performed "Fina and the Golden Cape")
* The Legend of the Wear - A water stunt show based off of the story of the Lambton Worm
* The Lost Feather - A bird show
* A Viking Show
* A Victorian England show

In later phases will include further shows including The Lone Centurion, Tales of the Tudors, Conquest of the Seas, and legendary stories such as Excalibur and Robin Hood being brought to life

In 2021, the 11Arches team tested the park concept with the opening of 11Arches Park which showcases a number of outdoor attractions and smaller live-shows which run on show days, leading up to the main event.

The Park was originally planned to open in 2020, however the 2020 season and all shows were cancelled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

The Park opened with a maze/library show, a Viking Village, an Animal Croft, live music, and a new children's playground. 11Arches Park also has a large food court, serving a variety of food types.

2021 also saw the introduction of the day-time show “Fina and The Golden Cape”, which was a primary attraction within the park. Audience members observed as a young woman named Fina fight to defend her village, with pyrotechnics, horse stunts and advanced combat routines filling the show on the 7.5 acre stage, also used for Kynren.

The Kynren website describes Fina and The Golden Cape as having “jousting, trick-riding, vaulting and chariot-racing”, which are performed by highly trained stunt riders.

11Arches Park did not reopen in 2022, as more attractions are built out.

Awards

Kynren, 11Arches, and the volunteers have won various awards including:

* Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (2018)
* Innovation in Tourism Award (2018)
* Accessibility Award (2019)
* Green Tourism Award (2019)

References

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Bishop Auckland
Festivals in County Durham
2016 establishments in the United Kingdom