XVI 11 
EXCAVATION OF CLOISTER, ETC. 
during excavation and on the various rockeries in our gardens 
and those of the Blind School; many of the stones bear inter¬ 
esting masons’ marks. In the same way the West wall of the 
South transept has been treated, built to the old width and 
heightened ; it serves also as a retaining wall for the grass 
mound which forms the entrance to the Lecture Theatre from 
the gardens. Where the garden path crosses the cloister alley 
at its western end a rockery has been formed and covered with 
plants and moss, to act as a barrier to keep persons from falling 
into the lower level of the cloister. 
Upon the removal of the stump of the old elm tree, blown 
down in a gale the previous year, an excavation was made, for 
the tree stood upon the line of the old South wall of nave ; on 
the removal of the earth, the wall and two buttresses of the 
third and fourth bays of nave were found in excellent preserva¬ 
tion, regret being generally expressed that they too were not 
left exposed. 
There can be little doubt that the whole of the remains of 
the South wall of the nave with cloister alley should some day 
be excavated and treated as the work just concluded, this 
would then give a proper importance to the Abbey ruins which 
they ought to possess. 
In presenting the result of his work to the Society, Mr. 
Brook wishes to thank all those who were kind enough to give 
him old ashlar and other material for the work, especially Mr. 
A. B. Norwood, who has been a great benefactor, and the Very 
Rev. the Dean of York, who between them gave several loads 
of ashlar, much of which was Abbey stone : the difficulty has 
been to provide sufficient ancient ashlar, many tons of which 
has been used. He would also thank the contractors, Messrs. 
Biscomb, who so ably carried out the work for him. The only, 
and it is the very deepest regret to him, has been that our dear 
old friend, Dr. Tempest Anderson, was not spared to come 
home to see the alterations in the gardens. 
A few additions to the collection in the Architectural Museum 
have been made, some ancient Norman pieces of work from 
Piccadilly and Fossgate, and the fine doorway of perpendicular 
work has been pieced together in the entrance of the Archi¬ 
tectural Museum. 
