34 On the Architecture of Malmeslury Alley. 



the church can only be seen in the ruined western portion of the 

 nave. I regret to say that some of the masonry above has lately 

 fallen, which 1 am told occurs from time to time. 



Aubrey mentions the remains of the abbey kitchen, to the 

 north-west, that is, in the usual position, at the north-west angle 

 of the cloisters, adjoining the refectory. He says it stood on four 

 strong freestone pillars, from which I infer that the pillars were at 

 the angles of a square and that the kitchen may have been polygonal. 

 The refectory must have been on the north side of the cloisters and 

 the sacristy, chapter-house and day -room on the east side, with 

 the dormitory over them, but these buildings have entirely dis- 

 appeared. There seem to have been considerable ruins of the abbey 

 buildings, on the north side of the church, in 1634, according to 

 the testimony of a tourist who then visited it. 



The lowest part of the present Abbey House was part of the 

 monastery ; what part we cannot say. It had certainly nothing to 

 do with the refectory. It is an oblong undercroft, of which the 

 whole area remains, and was originally divided into two portions by 

 a wall, removed probably when the present house was built. It was 

 vaulted, and had a central row of pillars, now removed. The re- 

 sponds are octagonal with plainly chamfered caps. The window 

 arches are foliated internally and, as Mr. Christian has pointed out, 

 are splayed inside on a curve in a remarkable manner. This may 

 have been the undercroft of a hall in the Abbot's house, perhaps, 

 but not the hall itself. The house itself was built after the dissolu- 

 tion of the monastery and for some convenience of levels, the 

 vaulting of the undercroft was removed and its floor level consider- 

 ably raised. Whatever the actual date of the present house may be, 

 it has all the look of an Elizabethan building and is very picturesque 

 and well placed. The north-east door in the Abbey Church and 

 window over appear to be of the same character. 



I have now redeemed my promise of reading a paper on the archi- 

 tecture of Malmesbury Abbey. I have left a good deal unsaid, but 

 my own feeling is that a great deal more enjoyment and information 

 is to be obtained by personal examination of a building, than by 

 listening to any description that may be given of it. 



