As it now stands, the chapel is divided into nave and aisles by arcades, each of four bays. The supporting pillars are clearly those described by Leland, who, speaking of the great hall, says: "There be divers pillars of black marble speckled with white." Each pillar consists of four clustered cylindrical shafts, two being of Weardale marble, and two of freestone. The four pillars nearest the west are banded half-way up, and the capitals of the two western pillars are carved with foliage, the north-western showing also the spiral scroll or volute. The capitals of the other pillars and the bases of all are moulded, the latter resting on square plinths.
The arches are richly moulded, and have labels terminating in carved ornaments. They rest at the east end on responds of three clustered shafts, two of marble, and one of freestone, with moulded capitals and bases. At the west end the arches rest on highly ornamental corbels. Each of the latter consists in its lower portion of two carved heads, the northernmost being of Bishops wearing mitres, and the southern of crowned Kings. From within the mitres and crowns rise dwarfed shafts with Late Transitional foliage carved on the bells. Each capital is surmounted with a square moulded abacus, on which rest the bases of a triplet of dwarfed, clustered shafts corresponding to those in the piers of the arcades. In the spandrels between the arches, on both sides, are carved corbels; those on the inner side carry single cylindrical shafts surmounted by moulded capitals, and originally carried the pendant posts of the roof. The outer corbels supported the rafters of the aisle roofs. There is now but little doubt that this portion of the building was erected by Bishop Pudsey.
Bishop Hatfield made further improvements, inserting the windows still existing. At a much later period, as already mentioned, Bishop Cosin altered and restored the castle, which he appears to have made his favourite residence. He certainly took great delight and pride in improving his country home. Most of the fine woodwork in the chapel is his work—the roof, mouldings, and the great screen at the west end being particularly noteworthy.
Since his time the chapel has been but little altered. Bishop Van Mildert refloored it, and Bishop Lightfoot erected a new reredos, and filled most of the windows with stained glass.
The other portions of the castle have been considerably modernized, and bear but little resemblance to Pennant’s picture of it. The room which he describes as "below stairs," and having painted on the old wainscot "the arms of a strange assemblage of potentates, from Queen Elizabeth, with all the European princes, to the Emperors of Abissinia, Bildelgerid, Carthage, and Tartaria, sixteen peers of the same reign, knights of the garter, and above
Lumley Castle.
them the arms of every bishoprick in England," is now used as the housekeeper’s storeroom.
The wing containing the servants’ hall (on the ceiling of which is a plaster shield of Bishop Tunstall’s arms) and the dining-room was commenced by Bishop Ruthall, and completed by the former prelate. The arms of both Bishops appear on the exterior of the building. Adjoining this wing to the west is another of some length, still known by the curious name of Scotland, and undoubtedly erected by Tunstall. No very satisfactory reason has been offered for the derivation of its name.