Entering from the south transept is the sacristy, a chamber 32 feet 4 inches long by 23 feet wide, covered with a round barrel vault. All the buildings to the north of the church appear to have been to a greater or less extent altered and adapted by the commendators, in order to form a mansion house, so that they do not now quite represent their original condition. [Illustration: FIG. 901.--Balmerino Abbey. Plan of Charter House.] To the north of the sacristy is the chapter house, with a doorway between them, which is not original. This has been a very fine apartment, measuring about 56 feet long by about 27 feet 3 inches wide. It is divided into two compartments, the eastern compartment being the chapter house proper, and the western the vestibule (see Fig. 901). The eastern half is probably of a slightly later date than the western half. It was vaulted, like the western half, with groined vaulting, but at a much higher level and with arches of a much greater span, having had one central pillar instead of the two in the older part. The central pillar is entirely gone; and of the high vaulting only the wall ribs, with the corbels from which the ribs sprang, remain (see Fig. 902). From the indications of the ribs which remain, the vaulting has been restored in dotted lines. It is quite obvious from Fig. 902 that this vaulting was removed to admit of an upper room at the lower level of the western vault. [Illustration: FIG. 902.--Balmerino Abbey. Chapter House, from South-East.] The western division or vestibule (Fig. 903) has two octagonal centre pillars, with no wall responds in a line with them, the vaulting at the wall springing from rounded corbels; eastwards, there are two larger octagonal pillars with responds. The height of the pillars is about 7 feet 10 inches, and to the apex of the vaulting the height is about 14 feet 9 inches. The western wall of the chapter house is gone, and only some portions of a later wall remain. Owing to this the western compartments of the [Illustration: FIG. 903.--Balmerino Abbey. Chapter House, from North-West.] vaulting have fallen, all except the part shown by strong lines at the south side of this compartment, which merely holds together by the tenacity of the mortar. Unless means are shortly taken to support this fragment, it will soon give way and come to the ground. There was a continuous seat round the entire chapter house. The recesses at the east end on the north side are modern (Fig. 904). The east wall of the chapter house (Fig. 905) still remains; it contains two windows, having square heads, built with radiating stones, and probably had mullions with tracery. The southmost of these windows was, in the later occupation, converted into a doorway, with fan lights over (see Fig. 905).