The Refectory
The monks gathered for meals in the monastic dining hall.
They sat at tables on the platforms that run along the sides of the room. At the far end of the interior there would have stood the high table, where the prior or his deputy sat during meals.
Meals were eaten in silence to the accompaniment of readings delivered from a raised pulpit near the high table. Evidence for the location of the pulpit is still visible on the walls.
All the seating would have been set against the walls so that the monks could be easily served from the centre of the room. Each of the monks would have been provided at the table with a knife, cup and napkin.
The precise timing of meals varied according to season and the liturgical calendar. Two meals would usually have been served each day in this refectory: a heavy dinner in the late morning and a light supper in the early evening. This meant that there was always an overnight period of at least 17 hours between supper and dinner the next day.
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