The Lantern
Standing in the middle of the Crossing, looking above, you can see the ‘Lantern’.
The lower part of the Central Tower is called the 'Lantern' as it has windows to allow light in. The symmetry of the vaulting creates a mesmerising star shape. The crown of the tower vault is 47m (155ft) high and above this are the ringing chamber and belfry.
Things to look for
Looking up
As you look up from the Crossing you can see the floor of the ringing chamber, where the bellringers meet when they ring the cathedral bells. The bells themselves are in a room above them, nearer the top of the Tower, called the Belfry.
In the middle of the ringing chamber floor is a round wooden door. When bells need to be taken out of the Belfry they are lowered through this door to the Crossing below. New bells are taken up the same way!
History
The singing monks
In 1346 during the Battle of Neville’s Cross, monks watched the battle from the top of the central tower. Legend says they started to sing when the Scots were defeated.
Records say that many years afterward, Durham monks would climb the central tower and sing three hymns, one to the north, one to the south, and one to the east. There was no singing to the west, where the battle was fought.
Surviving extreme weather
In 1429 there was a great storm. A lightning strike caused the tower’s 13th century wooden belfry to catch fire, ruining the lower stonework and making it unsteady.
Thirty years later, on Easter day in 1459, the tower was set ablaze again by a second strike of lightning.
Prior Richard Bell (1464-1478) raised the funds to restore it, with the first stage completed by master mason Thomas Barton in 1474. A little before 1500, the top and belfry were finished by master mason John Bell, marking the last of the medieval building projects. In the mid 1800s, architect Sir George Gilbert Scott replaced 27 missing statues in the outside niches of the tower, refaced its surfaces, and repaired its windows.
Interesting facts
New stones, old methods
Between 2016 - 2019 cathedral stonemasons used traditional techniques to repair the tower’s upper stonework, replacing worn and broken stones with new hand-chiseled ones. Hundred-year-old graffiti still remains on some of the older stones.
A view from the top
There are 325 steps to climb to the top of the tower. The view takes in Durham World Heritage Site with the city of Durham and the looped River Wear. On a clear day, the view stretches north to Sunderland, and sometimes it is possible to spot Penshaw Monument or even the Angel of the North in Gateshead.
Did you know?
Student superstition
Durham University students have a long-standing superstition about the tower. Apparently, if you climb to the top before graduation you will not pass your exams! As a result, tower bookings are often very busy early in January and late in June, after exam results have been announced.
Follow the guided tour
You’re in: The Nave You’re at: The Lantern Next stop: The DLI Chapel
- Turn to your right and walk towards the clock
- On your left, you'll see a wooden screen and door with steps leading up to the Durham Light Infantry Chapel
- Head into the Chapel