Paganini concert plaque unveiled in Bishop Auckland

The plaque was organised by Beryl Anderson (left) and Sam Zair (right) and unveiled by County Durham Lord Lieutenant Sue Snowdon

A plaque celebrating a performance by a world-renowned violin virtuoso and "rascal" has been unveiled.

Niccolo Paganini played at what is now Sam Zair's Cafe in Bishop Auckland during a tour in the 1830s.

Revealing the plaque, Lord Lieutenant for County Durham Sue Snowdon said the Italian musician was an "absolute rascal" whose visit to the town was worth remembering.

The plaque has been installed on the anniversary of his death in 1840.

The plaque is on Fore Bondgate in Bishop Auckland

Paganini was born in Italy in 1782 and by the age of seven was proficient in the violin.

Beryl Anderson of South Durham Enterprise Agency, who helped organise the plaque on Fore Bondgate, said Paganini was an "eccentric gambler and womaniser" with an "insatiable appetite" for travel.

She said he demanded "high fees for his performances" and visited Bishop Auckland as part of a Europe-wide tour, playing at what was then the town's assembly rooms.

Paganini once had to pawn his violin because of gambling debts

Ms Snowdon, whose family ran a fishmonger on Fore Bondgate for several generations, said she was not surprised Paganini came to Bishop Auckland as it was a town that had always attracted visitors.

She said: "Paganini is a bit of our jigsaw and it is wonderful to mark it. History and culture is going to be what takes us forward."

The building has also been a temperance bar, church and a brewery before becoming the cafe and holiday let run by Sam and Lesley Zair.

Other plaques in Bishop Auckland include one on the childhood home of Stan Laurel and another dedicated to Pitmen Painter Tom McGuinness.