Durham Castle, by Mr W. H. D. Longstafte. 77 



picturesque character of wMch before its conversion into a University many 

 eyes remember. 



After Canon Ornsby bad concluded tbe reading- of tbis paper 

 be invited tbe members of tbe two societies, and tbe visitors 

 present, to accompany bim round tbe Castle, so tbat be migbt 

 point out to tbem, as nearly as possible in tbeir cbronological 

 order, tbe various parts of tbe building wbicb are more especially 

 wortby of notice. We subjoin a brief conspectus of tbe informa- 

 tion given by Canon Ornsby respecting tbe portions of tbe 

 structure to wbicb be directed attention : — 



1. The entrance gateway, the groining of which probably belongs to 

 Bishop Pudsey's time. Its exterior presents no features of antiquity, having 

 been restored and refaced by Wyatt, about the early part of this century, or 

 the latter end of the preceding one. The door, with its little wicket, is 

 worthy of attention as regards its great strength, being almost wholly made 

 of iron, justifying the expression of the chronicler, William de Chambre, who 

 records that Bishop Tunstall " construxit portas ferreas ejusdem castri," an 

 epithet which they well deserve. 



2. The original Norman chapel of the Castle, of very early work, possibly 

 of the time of Walcher, the first Norman bishop (1072-1080), but certainly 

 not later than the early part of Karileph's episcopate (1081-1096). It bears 

 a great similarity to the crypt of the abbey of the Holy Trinity at Caen, 

 founded in 1066. The capitals of the piers, with their square abaci and rude 

 imitation of the Ionic volute, are very like some in the Church of St. George 

 Bocherville, near Eouen, which dates from the middle of the same century. 

 The chapel is divided into nave and aisles, the altar platform being on an 

 elevation of two steps. There are brackets for images or lights on either 

 side of the east window, and an almry in the north wall. Each aisle has had 

 a window at its eastern extremity. The two side windows which give light 

 to the northern aisle were enlarged in 1840. In their original state they 

 were widely splayed, plain, round-headed openings, not more than six inches 

 in width. The capitals of the piers are peculiar and interesting in their 

 ornamental details. The j)avement, with the herring-bone arrangements of 

 the small flag-stones which form it, is probably coeval. 



3. The great stair- case of the Castle, the work of Bishop Cosin (1660- 

 1674), gives access to what is now known as the Norman Gallery. The 

 weather-worn stones of what was once its external wall are seen at the head 

 of the staircase. Internally it presents a range of triple arches, adorned 

 with chevron ornament, the centre one, containing the window, being 

 higher in each case than the blank ones by which it is flanked. At the 

 eastern end is a round-headed doorway of the same period, communicating 

 by a staircase in the thickness of the wall with the floor in a lower hall. 

 This doorway makes it obvious that this range of windows belonged to a 

 large upper haU or chamber of state, and recent alterations have shown that 

 a similar range of windows existed on its northern side. Below it was 

 another haU. Both belong to the time of Pudsey (1154-1197). Access was 

 given to the lower one by a very richly decorated doorway, clearly belonging 



