A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



There are three windows to each flight of 

 stairs, with checked and splayed jambs, and 

 square splayed heads, mullions and transoms ; 

 each is of two lights, the upper having three 

 centred arched heads with small eyelets in the 

 spandrels, and the whole surmounted by a hood 

 mould. 



A string-course divides the building at the 

 level of the parapet of the Tunstall gallery, and 

 there is a second string immediately under the 

 embattled parapet, which has been renewed. 

 The whole was originally crowned by a wooden 

 turret or lantern light, with columns at the sides, 

 and finished with a lead cupola, but this was re- 

 moved apparently in the i8th century. 



Bishop Cosin started this building with stone 

 from the Broken Walls Quarry, but above the 

 lower windows a great deal of the Browney 

 stone seems to have been used. The walling 

 here is somewhat different from the rest of his 

 work, there being a more general use of longer 

 stones, more varied depth of courses and finer 

 jointing. 



On the south wall is a lead downspout head, 

 bearing the date mdclxii, with two pendants 

 on the underside ornamented with a Tudor rose; 

 a third centre pendant, forming a sink and con- 

 tracting to form the connection with the down- 

 spout, bears a casting of a lion's head winged. 

 On the east wall is another almost similar lead 

 head, bearing a shield with the arms of the see 

 and dated 1661. 



Although the outside elevation of the Great 

 Staircase, which Cosin built in i66z,^ may not 

 be pleasing, it must be admitted that the 

 interior is very imposing. He exercised great 

 care, thought and supervision on the work, and 

 though he spent ' largely ' he spent ' wisely,' 

 and as a result he added to the castle an object 

 of enduring admiration. 



The staircase tower is 57 ft. in height from 

 floor to ceiling. Five separate landings or floors, 

 which extend the entire width of the north side 

 of the building, are each connected by three 

 flights of stairs. On plan, the average measure- 

 ments of the staircase are 28 ft. 9 in. from north 

 to south, and 22 ft. 8 in. from east to west. 

 The flights have a width of about 6 ft. between 

 balustrade and walls and the well is 9 ft. square. 



The balustrade surrounding the well is formed 

 with a shaped and moulded handrail, surmount- 

 ing a heavy moulded top rail with frieze of 

 carved acanthus leaf, studded and banded on 

 the well side, but on the stair side the boxing 

 has three facias divided by carved fillets ; the 

 lower rail or string has a deeply moulded plain 

 panel boxing. Between these two strings richly 

 pierced and carved panels are inserted, sur- 



*■• The contract for this is dated l April 1663. 

 Bishop Cosin's Corresp. (Surt. Soc), ii, 90, 358. 



rounded and held in position by moulded and 

 carved fillets. The panels of the lower flight are 

 finer and more elaborately carved than the rest, 

 the one on^the gallery *landing''consisting"of an 

 acanthus scroU with bordered shield in the centre, 

 with a flower on either side from the centre of 

 which hang swags of fruit. The other panels are 

 less elaborate and of shallower carving, but 

 thoroughly effective in purpose from the distant 

 view usually obtained of them. Each panel 

 occupies a length of one side of the well. 



At each angle is a square newel post with sunk 

 panel on two sides, the panels being decorated 

 with studded leaves in low relief. Each newel 

 was originally finished on the top with flat caps 

 having a moulded edge surmounted by a boldly 

 shaped vase ornament richly carved and termin- 

 ating with a ball. At the foot, each newel 

 was finished by a deeply undercut and fret 

 pendant. Few of either upper or lower ter- 

 minals now remain. When the roof was exposed 

 some time ago^^ the main beams were found to 

 be broken and much decayed, the fractures being 

 occasioned by the great weight of the lantern 

 light which was removed subsequent to the time 

 of Bishop Crewe.'* The top landing was at an 

 unknown date formed into a room now called the 

 ' Crows' Nest,' by the erection of a partition upon 

 the main trimmer immediately at the back of the 

 panelled balustrade. On the failure of the roof, 

 however, the partition transferred the pressure 

 from the roof timbers to the trimmer, causing 

 it to become distorted. To counteract this, the 

 carved capitals and pendants of the newels were 

 removed, and turned diminishing oak columns 

 were wedged in between the top of one newel and 

 the bottom of the one immediately above, in 

 order to transfer the weight to the ground. The 

 effect, however, was to force the newels 

 out of the perpendicular, and to destroy and in 

 some cases entirely draw out the oak-pinned 

 tenons, especially in the upper flights. The roof 

 has now been renewed, the staircase carefully 

 strengthened and the broken trimmer of the top 

 landing slung to the roof joists. Relieved of the 



'5 In a report upon the castle roofs, dated 15 Sept. 

 1794, it is stated that the ' Roof over the grand 

 staircase, the timbers in General is in a very decayed 

 state and much sunk, hkewise the lead upon the Roof 

 and Gutters much wore and thin in many parts, a 

 new roof appears to be necessary at some future time, 

 as no danger at present appears from its present 

 state.' 



*' Shown on several of the old views on the staircase, 

 on one of which the turret appears to be square 

 composed of several columns supporting an ogee- 

 shaped cupola terminating with some form of orna- 

 ment. In a view from the south, hanging in the 

 Senate Room lobby, this is confirmed, but the cupola 

 takes the form of a single curve terminating with ball 

 finial. 



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