A Tour of the Ruins

Enter the ruins by the opening near the steps of the house.  Walk to the central space of the Abbey Church.  Here the tower rose from four great piers.  Only the outline of the church can be seen.  It was built in the shape of a cross with the transepts to the right and left each with three chapels.  There are remains of several gravestones within the transepts.  The East window, three times as high as the gatehouse through which you enter, was behind the restored altar.

The monks sat in the choir over the choir pits.  These were covered ditches, which added resonance to the chanting.  Beyond the choir the nave extended back as far as the building on the left.

Move to the Cloister.  Notice the remains of the original floor tiles as you descend the steps.  The rectangular cloister was surrounded by a covered walkway.  It was a place of study and meditation for the monks.  The recesses in the wall are the remains of three large book cupboards.

Click on the image above for a 3D view of the ruins

Go into the first opening, the entrance to the Chapter House.  Here the monks met with the Abbot each morning to discuss the business of the Abbey.  A chapter from the Charter of Charity (the rules governing the Abbey) was read out – hence the name Chapter House.  On the left is the Abbot’s vestry through which he entered the church.  On the right are the remains of the Abbot’s parlour.  Above these rooms and along the whole length of the range was the Dorter (the monks’ dormitory).

On the upper floor of the building on the west side of the cloister, was the Lay Brothers’ dormitory.  The lower floor was the Cellarium, where supplies were stored.  Although part of the Abbey, the Lay Brothers were not monks.  They attended to the buildings and worked in the fields.

The monks’ kitchen and refectory are no longer standing, but the entrance door now leads to a peaceful picnic garden.  In the wall on the right of the door is the oval Lavatorium, a washing trough, where the monks washed their hands prior to going in to eat.  On the left, notice the remains of stone stairs, which led up to the dormitory.

Leaving the Cloister by the passageway, the monks’ day room is on the right.  Here the monks could meet together for a short period of relaxation and warmth.  The remains of the fireplace can still be seen in the day room.

Move across the grass to the Reredorter, the large building opposite the remains of the Abbot’s Lodgings.  The Reredorter was the toilet block, through which ran the millstream.  The millstream, diverted from the weir on the River Calder, flowed through the Abbey Corn Mill, the Abbot’s kitchen, the toilet block and back into the main river.

The Reredorter has the remains of a fireplace on the upper floor.  Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, it was converted into a coachman’s house when the Abbey became the private residence of the Assheton family.

Move forward into the Abbot’s kitchen.  Here are two large fireplaces and the turnspit’s platform.  The bread oven stood in the far corner.  Food for the Abbot and his guests was prepared here.  Originally this was a single storey building.  The Tudor windows above are part of the long gallery built over the range by Ralph Assheton c1588.

Leaving the kitchen, you face into the Tudor courtyard.  To the right the Gothic window of the Infirmary can be seen.  Here elderly or sick monks and elderly local people were cared for.  Below the window is the Peter de Cestria Chapel.  This dates from c1250 and is the oldest building on the Abbey site.  It was the private chapel of Peter who was the rector of Whalley, up to the time of the monks’ arrival in 1296.

Finally move round to the side of the house.  The house has been extended several times since 1588.  Tudor windows, some blocked off to avoid the Window Tax, are interspersed with Victorian sash windows.  The bay window is a 19th century reconstruction, but the main staircase leading into the house dates from 1694.