Our History
Kynren – an epic tale of England is produced by 11Arches, a registered charity, whose objective is to produce a world class show, underpinned by an innovative and engaging arts, education and community development programme.
Established in 2014, 11Arches began operating on the 2 July 2016 when it presented the first season of Kynren, a sold out, open-air summer spectacular templated from the award-winning Cinéscénie produced by Puy du Fou in France. Kynren was created thanks to an initial £35m investment, funded entirely by charitable donations and has since operated on previous year’s proceeds.
Presented on a seven-and-a-half acre stage, a cast and crew of 1,000 volunteers immerses audiences in a 2,000-year tale.
Since its opening performance, Kynren has attracted nearly 400,000 visitors to Bishop Auckland and this puts it among other treasures in the North East. 40% of its visitors come from outside the North East, from all over the UK and all over the world, from the USA to China, from South Africa to the Middle East.
11Arches is one of two charities established by Jonathan Ruffer in Bishop Auckland, the other being The Auckland Project. The charities have overseen the commitment of approaching £280m to date (largely private funding) into the town to create a major visitor destination that will attract up to 900,000 visitors a year by 2028. Philanthropy on this scale, unseen in the UK, provides a unique opportunity to provide a catalyst for the revival of the town and area.