XVII 
EXCAVATION OF CLOISTER & RESTORATION OF 
SOUTH NAVE WALL, &c., &c. 
Report of Work Done , 1913. 
By W. HARVEY BROOK. 
r J"'HE work of thoroughly excavating and partially re-building 
a portion of the North and East Cloister alleys, which 
is mentioned in our last report as proceeding, has now been 
brought to a conclusion for the present, the result being that 
three-and-a-half bays of the South wall of the nave of the 
Abbey, and two bays of the West wall of the South transept 
have been rescued from almost total oblivion. These walls had 
been destroyed in great part when the gardens were laid out in 
1828, and their reinstatement has done much to render the plan 
of the church and cloister intelligible to visitors. 
The earth has been taken out to the ancient floor levels, and 
in doing this, the pent wall of the enclosure of the cloister 
garth, upon which the open arcade stood, was found running 
the whole length, South and West, to a varying height above 
the ground level of from one to three courses and one foot 
eleven inches thick ; this wall has been raised to the height of 
2ft. 6in. and made the old width ; thus, with the restored South 
wall of nave and West wall of South transept, the ancient 
width and general dimensions of cloister alleys is now seen, 
and can be measured by the curious. 
The South wall of nave with its buttresses and vault-shaft 
bases, and seating, has been raised to a general height of 3ft. 
3in. from cloister floor level, except in the eighth bay next 
transept wall, where it is raised to a height of 5ft. 6Jin. In 
this bay the five steps of the South-east door of the nave giving 
access to the cloister from the church, have been re-built, and 
the step forming the threshold is exactly the level of the old 
floor of the Abbey nave ; this wall has been in great part re¬ 
built and to its original thickness, 5ft. Sin. at the foot and 4ft. 
ioin. at the ground level, it is 68 feet in length, with old ashlar, 
new stone only being used in cases of necessity. The bases of 
vault-shafts and pieces of seating and moulding were found 
b 
