12. The Chapter House

 
Excavation of the Chapter House by Ken Blackham

Much of this green space would have been occupied by buildings, including the two-storey infirmary to the south east and the dormitory’s and latrines which ran south as far as the tennis courts.

Used for meetings, the Chapter house was a large building 15m long and 8.5m wide, decorated with ribbed vaulting and Romanesque arches. The visible wall is actually just the tip of the iceberg and would have been over 20m high and 2m thick!  Excavations in 1922 uncovered two stone coffins, and theories abound that these are the tombs of Geoffrey de Clinton and his son. However its more likely they were coffins of the early Priors (the head of the Priory).

Onward Directions

Follow the churchyard wall to the museum