Building record 10640/3 - Abbey of St Werburgh - North Monastic Range

The north monastic range of the former Abbey of St Werburgh, now the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary (CHER 10641) consisted of the refectory or frater, in addition to a kitchen (CHER 10640/9) to the north, now destroyed. There was probably a Norman refectory in this location, as the monastic buildings were built in the twelfth century, but only west range (CHER 10640/ 2) remains of this period. The monastic buildings were rebuilt in the thirteenth century. The doorway dates from the early thirteenth century and was the main one that was used by monks entering the refectory from the cloisters. There are still traces of Norman stonework inside the doorway (1, 2). One particularly interesting feature is the early English stone pulpit, located in the south-east corner. This is approached by a staircase with an ascending arcade of trefoiled arches springing from three clustered shafts. The staircase is built into the wall and oriel pulpit projects triangularly on big corbel so that the reader seen through two open trefoiled arches (3). The wall staircase is lit by five small, closely set cinquecusped windows, only seen from the cloister garth (2). From the sixteenth century onwards, the former refectory was used as a grammar school, the King’s School (CHER 10641/6).

<1> Burne, R. V. H., 1962, The Monks of Chester. The History of St Werburgh's Abbey (Book). SCH3213.

<2> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /147 (Book). SCH3078.

<3> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, Richards R 1972 /93-101 (Book). SCH2309.

<4> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /76 (Book). SCH394.

<5> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Chester Intra Mural 1998/ 382 (Unpublished Report). SCH4570.

<6> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.