By Harold Brakspear, F.8.A. 



231 



corbels. Originally it was entered from the cloister by a wide 

 pointed segmental-arched doorway of two chamfered orders, with 

 nook shafts in the jambs similar to the other doorways. In the 

 15th century, when the new cloister was built, the west jamb was 

 destroyed and a smaller doorway, with a moulded four-centred 

 arch, inserted in the older opening. The east jamb remains, 

 although walled up, and retains traces of its original coloured 

 " mason " decoration. The north end of the passage had a wide 

 pointed segmental-arched doorway of a single chamfered order which 

 has been much mutilated by later insertions, now removed. On 

 the east side, in the first bay from the south, is the original entrance 

 to the warming-house already described, and in the other bay is a 

 wide buttress-like projection forming the back of the warming- 

 house fireplace. Opposite this in the west wall is a shouldered 

 doorway that led to the western division of the basement. This 

 passage was probably used as the inner parlour, where any necessary 

 talking was allowed between the inmates. 



The western division of the basement is a low vaulted cellar 

 divided into two aisles, four bays in length, and supported in the 

 centre on plain octagonal pillars, without caps, and against the 

 walls on moulded corbels. There was apparently no direct means 

 of access to this cellar from the cloister. All the original features 

 of the north wall are obliterated by modern casing externally and 

 plaster internally. The western severy of the south alley was 

 occupied by a staircase leading up from the cloister to the frater ; 

 the original arrangement of which has been entirely obliterated. 

 The door from the cloisler to this staircase was of two members 

 similar to that to the infirmary passage already described. It was 

 considerably encroached upon in the 15 th century by the new 

 cloister, and since the suppression the western jamb and arch have 

 been destroyed by the insertion of a passage leading to the kitchen 

 and cellar. 



The frater itself was a large hall with open timber roof, 80 feet 

 long by 27 feet wide, but after the suppression it was divided up 

 into rooms and passages, so that all indications of its monastic 

 arrangements are lost. It would have at the east end a raised 



VOL. XXXI. — NO. XCIV. R 



