nobody on here is saying that durham is among the very best unis in the world (yale, stanford, harvard, oxbridge) but if you say it's not 'top tier' in the uk then you've got a fight on your hands!
where do you go if you want to do law, history, english (perhaps THE three most competative subject along with PPE) but you dont get into/like oxbridge? you go to durham. it's 2nd best for these subject = top tier. not THE top but top bloody tier!
anyway, no offence but i remeber from somewhere that you're american (i think)? if so, (im sorry to say) it's unfair of you to assert your opinion so strongly having less experience of, well, the country and education system than we do. im not saying your opinion is less valid but it carries less weight and should be delivered accordingly. (although i might well be imagining things, if so sorry)