The Cathedral Church

Much of the cathedral church in 1250 was unchanged since Bishop Wulfstan in the 1080’s and 1090’s had replaced two Saxon churches, St Peter's and St Mary's, with a single new church in the Norman style. But in the 1170’s the west end, overlooking the river, had been rebuilt, and in 1175 the Norman central tower had collapsed, causing substantial damage to the surrounding structure. A new tower was built, and is shown here: this is the predecessor of the present cathedral tower. In 1224 work began on rebuilding the east end in contemporary Gothic style, and this campaign was drawing to a close around 1250.

Attached to the cathedral was a community of Benedictine monks under a prior. South of the cathedral church are their cloisters, flanked by the circular chapter house, the monks' refectory, and the great 'dorter' or dormitory projecting towards the river, with the latrine block or 'reredorter' at the end. These buildings survive intact or as ruins, and their location and general appearance is known. But many more buildings have disappeared like the infirmary and the kitchen, both known to lie somewhere in the crowded area west of the church and cloisters. Between the cloisters and the Great Gate (the predecessor of the Edgar Tower) are the prior's buildings and the main guest hall. Opposite, stands the almonry, where the poor would be fed and accommodated. Along the south side of the precinct are the service buildings like stables, granaries, pigsties and cowsheds, the brewery and bakehouse, all essential to the life of the monastery and the running of its estates.