The Layout of the Abbey
The cloister comprised of covered walks running around the four sides of a central open court, or garth. The walks connected the principal monastic buildings and were also used by the canons to meditate, read and study.
Sick and elderly canons were cared for in the infirmary. The remains of this building now form part of a modern farm.
Heated by a large fire in winter, the day room was a space where the canons could relax and converse in comfort. It was formerly vaulted, and fragments of a stone bench survive around the walls.
The cellarer's range served as a storage area, used by the canon responsible for supplies of food and drink. This range was extensively remodelled in the 14th century, when the heavy vaults were inserted.
The imposing west tower of the abbey church was built around 1500 and is still standing to almost full height. It was most probably commissioned by Abbot Redman who might have employed the same masons who built the towers at the Cistercian abbeys of Fountains and Furness.
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