The Tunstall Gallery was constructed in the sixteenth century when the Bishop decided to add a new chapel to the Castle. The gallery was built to allow access to the chapel without having to go out into the courtyard.

It is easy to see that the gallery was added to what had been the Castle's southern facade – the stone wall is clearly an exterior wall.

The Tunstall Gallery was created by the extension of the Castle's northern building into the courtyard in the 16th century. It now houses an array of artefacts acquired by various bishops over the centuries. The red velvet chair in the foreground was Bishop Van Mildert's throne, and is now used for Durham University graduation ceremonies.

A Castle Collection

Today, the gallery houses some of the Castle's collection of artefacts, among which are weapons, saddles and drums. There are also a number of large chests, which have been in the Castle for centuries. Some of these chests have several locks and keyholes. These may have been chests for the safe-keeping of valuable documents such as deeds and contracts. Like a modern-day bank vault, each key would have been kept by a different individual, thus ensuring that the chest could not be opened except in the presence of all of the key-holders. 

The largest chest in the Tunstall Gallery may have been a chest for documents – a predecessor to the bank vault!