488 Malmestmry Abbey. 



were finished with trefoils. The spandrils between the cones were 

 filled with circles containing large quatrefoils having foliated 

 terminals and subdivided by smaller cusps, of which some had 

 rose-like terminals and others were plain (fig. 6). 



A fragment of the springing starting from a moulded corbel re- 

 mains in the south-east angle, and the curve of the vaulting shows 

 against the church wall. The processional doorway remains in the 

 south-east bay, and consists of an archway on the outer face of the 

 wall and a doorway on the inner, with a small porch between in 

 the thickness of the aisle wall, and was made within the original 

 processional doorway when the new cloister was built. The arch- 

 way is four centered and richly feathered, but the cusp points are 

 all broken off. The porch is covered with a small fan vault of 

 similar design to that of the cloister, and the inner doorway was 

 blocked after the Suppression by a wall which covers some of its 

 features though enough remains to show it was feathered like the 

 outer archway. A flight of steps led up from the cloister to the 

 church through this porch-like doorway (fig. 26). 



With the exception of Gloucester and Tewkesbury no other 

 monastic cloister can boast such an elaborate ceiling, though that 

 of St. Stephen's chapel in the palace of Westminster was of similar 

 character. The pattern of the cones and spandrils at Malmesbuiy 

 does not seem to have an exact parallel, but from the nature of 

 the cusping the vault must be an early example and but little later 

 than its rival. 



The foundation of the three western bays of the north alley 

 projected into the garth in order to support the lavatory opposite 

 the frater door, as at Gloucester, Chester, and Christ Church, 

 Canterbury. 



The floors were laid with tiles at different periods, doubtless as 

 the work above was completed. At the south end of the east alley 

 a large area remained, but much damaged by the fall of the vaulting. 

 The pattern was formed of squares of sixteen tiles set diagonally 

 and separated by strips of narrow tiles. The squares were decorated 

 with a circular band of roses surrounding four shields which met 

 in the centre and bore the arms of Beauchamp of Warwick. The 



