CITY OF DURHAM 



an upper floor, which was probably an addition. 

 At the south-west angle is a room in which are 

 the remains of a fireplace, the chimney of which 

 blocks a three-light window in the west gable. 

 The low upper story had on both sides small 

 square-headed windows of two lights, some of 

 which, now without mullions, still remain. 

 This upper room may have corresponded to the 

 * loft ' at the west of the frater at Durham 

 where the monks ordinarily had their meals. 

 There is now no western range of claustral 

 buildings except at the north end, where there 

 is a building with a vaulted undercroft, which 

 may have been the guest house or perhaps the 

 cellarer's quarters. The vaulting of the under- 

 croft, now broken through, is supported by 

 plain heavy ribs which spring from an octagonal 

 pier in the centre of the room. An original 

 pointed doorway on the east, now blocked, 

 led to the cloister, and there was another square- 

 headed doorway in the north wall, apparently 

 of later date. The upper story was reached 

 by a stair at the south-east, and was lighted 

 by a 14th-century square-headed window of 

 two lights on the north and by three single- 

 light windows, all now more or less destroyed. 

 There is evidence of other buildings on this 

 side of the cloister which have now gone. 



The prior's lodging forms a group of buildings 

 east of the dorter range and south of the church, 

 in a position ordinarily occupied by the monastic 

 infirmary. These buildings are of two stories, 

 the lower or basement being storerooms, 

 and the upper the living rooms of the prior 

 and his household. The principal range, in- 

 cluding the hall and the prior's camera, with 

 its chapel at the south-east, are of the latter 

 part of the 13th century, while the buildings 

 at the west end are 15th-century and those 

 on the north-east are 14th-century additions. 



The walls of the prior's hall (44 ft. by 20 ft.)'^ 

 have largely fallen, but still retain on the south 

 the remains of a range of three two-light tran- 

 somed windows inserted in 1459-60, and a 

 pointed doorway at the west end of this wall. 

 At the eastern part of the north wall are the 

 remains of a wide fireplace, the masonry of which 

 forms a considerable external projection. This 

 fireplace was apparently made in 1459-60, 

 when a bay window was built on the east side 

 of it, two buttresses added, and new hangings 

 were provided." Further alterations were made 

 in 1464.1'" The entrances at the lower end of the 

 hall opening to the screens had formerly been 

 approached by external steps, but at this date 



°* The whole range is 100 ft. by 27 ft. The use of 

 the different parts of the building is taken from the 

 inventories printed in Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc), 

 pp. cxvii, civ. 



** Ibid. p. cclxxv. 



l** Ibid. p. ccxc^-i. 



the north-west doorway was blocked and replaced 

 by another in the west wall which led to a pas- 

 sage running westward to the cloister. On 

 the west side of the prior's hall were the pantry, 

 buttery and kitchen, with a lobby and serving 

 hatch and remains of several fireplaces and 

 ovens. The larder and poultry were probably 

 below the dorter. On the east of the hall was 

 the prior's camera or great chamber (48 ft. 

 by 20 ft.), the principal entrance to which 

 was through the prior's hall, but in the 15th 

 century a stair from the undercroft was added 

 in the north-east corner. In the south wall 

 was a fireplace, which was built up in the 

 15th century, when a new fireplace was made 

 in the north wall. Three two-light windows 

 were at the same period inserted on the south 

 side, and a bay window thrown out on the west 

 end of the north wall''^ and some panelling, 

 probably for a canopied seat by the fire, erected 

 on the east side of it. The east window at the 

 same time received new tracery. 



The prior's chapel (26 ft. by 10 ft.) is entered 

 from the prior's chamber on the north by a 

 15th-century doorway, replacing an earlier 

 doorway farther to the east. A ruined door- 

 way in the south wall led to a chamber, now 

 destroyed, which apparently, according to a 

 15th-century inventory, contained six beds. 

 The chapel is lighted by a 15th-century square- 

 headed window of three cinquef oiled lights 

 in the east wall, at the cast end of both the 

 north and south walls is a 14th-century square- 

 headed window of two trefoiled lights, and in 

 the west wall are the remains of another window. 

 At the west end was a gallery, reached by a stair 

 in the north-west angle. 



On the north of the great chamber is a two- 

 storied building, which can perhaps be identi- 

 fied with theDouglasTower mentioned in 1460-1 

 and 1467-8.1*- The ground story, possibly 

 the prior's lower study, has a barrel vault, 

 and is separated from the main building by a 

 passage, through which it is entered. The 

 upper story was the prior's study, which was 

 entered from the great chamber by a door 

 in the south wall. It was lighted from the east 

 by two small windows, apparently later inser- 

 tions, and from the north by a fine 15th-century 

 oriel window and what appears to be a small 

 window, now blocked, placed lower in the wall. 

 In the north-east corner is a garde-robe, and 

 in the west wall is a fireplace. A stair in the 

 south-west corner led to the roof, and against 

 the north wall of the great chamber are the 

 remains of an external stair which, before the 

 previously mentioned stair was made, gave 

 access to the study. 



153 



1«1 Ihid. p. cclxx\-. 



'"^ Ibid. pp. cclxiix, cccvi. 



20 



