The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove - who is currently Dean of Sheffield Cathedral - will succeed the Very Reverend John Arnold when he retires at the end of the year.

Dean Sadgrove, 52, who is married with four children, was the Vicar of Alnwick in Northumberland between 1982 and 1987.

It is hoped Dean Sadgrove will be installed in Durham Cathedral in early Spring 2003.

Michael Sadgrove is exactly the kind of person we were hoping for

Bishop of Durham, Michael Turnbull

After the announcement on Tuesday, Dean Sadgrove said: "To come to Durham is, in a way, to come home. My wife's family are all from County Durham.

"It was 20 years ago, when I was a parish priest in Northumberland, that we got to know the North East and grew to love this region and its people.

"No-one here would quarrel with the view that Durham Cathedral is one of the best-loved buildings in the world, so to be asked to serve as the next Dean is a great privilege."

The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull welcomed the appointment.

He said: "Michael Sadgrove is exactly the kind of person we were hoping for.

"He will bring a breadth of cathedral experience, an intention to play a full part in the life of the diocese, an ability to engage with the wider community and respected scholarship.

"He will undoubtedly contribute strongly to the leadership of the Church in the region and continue Durham Cathedral's determination to be a place of excellence in worship and a model of service to community."