excuäsion. 33 



F. Warre — that water was higlily appropriate to the fisli- 

 house, althougb they were not quite fish enougli to appre- 

 ciate it. The Rev. F. ^Y. White read an extract from 

 Mr. Parker's work, on The Domestic Architecture of the 

 3Iiddle Ages, describing the building, from which it 

 appeared that it was the residence of the head fisherman of 

 the Abbots. This account was supplemented by some 

 further remarks from Mr. Parker himself, who assigned the 

 date to the reign of Edward III. Mr. Dickinson said 

 that ]\Ir. Gabriel Poole had furnished him with maps 

 which gave the boundary and size of the Abbot's pool or 

 "meare." It appeared to have occupied a space of about 

 500 acres. The Rev. Mr. White observed that it was five 

 miles round, and that there were also three small pools in 

 which fish were placed to be preserved for the use of the 

 Abbot. Mr. Parker drew attention to the square-headed 

 Windows in the building, which, he said, were clearly those 

 of the fourteenth Century. It was generally supposed that 

 all square-headed windows were late, but it was quite a 

 mistake. The "Abbot's House," which was formerly 

 their country residence, was then examined. It is now 

 occupied as a farm-house by Mr. N. Look, and the Com- 

 pany had the opportunity both of admiring the many 

 beauties of ancient architecture it contains, and witnessing 

 the modern process of manufacturing the celebrated cheese 

 of the locality. The banquetlng hall, now used as a store- 

 room for cheese, is very spacious. Mr. Parker said that 

 tbe Position of the room, in one wing of the building, was 

 unusual. There was an external doorway which formed 

 the lord's entrance, the servants' entrance being on the 

 other end, from towards the centre of the building. Where 

 the ruins of a house were rcmaining, it was well to remem- 

 ber that the principal rooms were often on the first floor, 

 VOL. IX., 1859, PAKT I. e 



