Whittaker's original intent, to set the song in Newcastle, was abandoned in favour of nearby Durham because Whittaker agreed with his producer that "Durham" sounded better. While focusing the song on Newcastle, Whittaker had set its second verse "on the banks of the river Tyne", and as Whittaker had little to no familiarity with his chosen locale for the song, he retained the verse with its Tyneside setting for the song's finalized version set in Durham. While the Tyne flows eastwards through Newcastle, it is the Wear, 20 miles (32 km) to the south, which flows through Durham.^[5]

Under its original title "The Leaver", the song first appeared on Whittaker's 1969 album release This is...Roger Whittaker, recorded with producer Denis Preston at Preston's studio in Lansdowne House. The track—renamed "Durham Town (The Leavin')"—was issued as a single in October 1969. Whittaker later recalled: "I just didn't have any faith in that song at all. Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances."^[6]

Whittaker returned to Britain in November to find the song ascending the UK Singles Chart towards a No. 12 peak in January 1970. On the Irish Singles Chart it was afforded a chart peak of No. 17.^[7] In Australia, the single—titled "The Leavin' (Durham Town)"—attracted enough regional success to chart nationally at No. 80.^{[citation needed]}

The song was included on the North American release of Whittaker's 1970 album New World in the Morning (RCA LSP 4340),^[8][9] whose title cut was coupled with "Durham Town" to form Whittaker's first US single. Whittaker recorded a French rendering of the song, entitled "Mon Pays Bleu (Durham Town)", which was issued in France and also in Canada.

The wake of the success Whittaker enjoyed with "The Last Farewell" in the summer of 1975 caused the re-release of "Durham Town" in the US and Canada, where the track became an Easy Listening hit. The song was also included on the 1975 Whittaker album The Last Farewell & Other Hits.

The song has also been recorded by Anne and Laura Brand on the 1970 album The Pride O' The North, by Val Doonican as "Leaving (Durham Town)" on the 1971 album Just A Sittin' And A Rockin' , and by Finnish singer Robin as "Jäähyväiset" (1970).