The Children's Story of Westminster AbbeyTroutbeck, G. E. (Georgina E.)
History
The Children's Story of Westminster Abbey
Troutbeck, G. E. (Georgina E.)
Westminster Abbey
Round to the left, through an even darker bit of Cloister, was the
Infirmary, of which we were just now speaking. The Infirmary was almost
a monastery in itself, having a cloister, a garden, and a very beautiful
chapel of its own. This chapel was built in the twelfth century, and was
dedicated to St. Katherine. Some of its arches still remain in the
garden of one of the modern houses. Many interesting things took place
in St. Katherine’s Chapel. One of these was a famous struggle between
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York as to which was to sit in the
chief place on the right hand of the Papal Legate. It was settled that
the Archbishop of Canterbury was to have the precedence, and be called
“Primate of all England.” Another interesting event connected with St.
Katherine’s Chapel, and a pleasanter one to think of, is the
consecration of St. Hugh of Lincoln in 1186. St. Hugh was a pupil and
disciple of St. Bruno, and came to his northern bishopric from the
famous monastery of the Grande Chartreuse in the south of France. The
old garden of the Infirmary is still the Abbey garden, and lies just
beyond the Little Cloister. Close to it is the ancient Jewel House,
where the King’s jewels used to be kept. It was built by Richard II on a
piece of ground which was bought from the Abbey by Edward III in the
last year of his reign.
Other parts of the monastery, such as the granary, the malt-house,
brew-house, and bake-house, stood in the square or court which is now
called Dean’s Yard. Parts of some of these ancient buildings still
remain below the modern houses. We shall hear of the granary again, in
another chapter.
In former days Dean’s Yard used to be known as “The Elms,” and was
enclosed by the old monastery walls.
The Almonry, or place where the alms of the monastery used to be given
to the poor, was on the south-west side of Broad Sanctuary. It was close
to the Almonry that Caxton set up his printing-press.
We can easily see what an important place a great monastery must have
been, when we think of all its different parts, and of the work of
various kinds that went on in it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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