of very good work, enriched with zig-zag
ornament.

Originally consisting of three bays of Norman work, it probably, like
the chapter-houses at Norwich, Reading, and Durham, terminated in a
semi-circular apse. The present east end is of Late Perpendicular work,
and makes a fourth bay. Judging from the method in which the new work
was joined on to the old in the fifteenth century, it would seem as if
the builders intended to remodel the whole building. The vaulting of the
later part is well groined, and the window is good. The roof of the
three Norman bays is a lofty barrel vault supported by three
slightly-pointed arches springing from the capitals of the columns,
which are curiously set back, and separate the bays.

Norman arcading of twelve arches--_i.e._ four to each bay, runs along
the three westernmost bays on the north and south walls, and in the
arcading are inscriptions restored from the description given by Leland.
Below the arcading "may be traced the line of the stone bench on which
the monks sat in chapter." (Hope.) The floor has been considerably
lowered in modern times. The tiling is modern, having been copied by
Minton from the old work, both as to subject and arrangement.

"The west end is arranged in the usual Benedictine fashion, with a
central door, flanked originally by two large unglazed window openings,
with three large windows above.... Only one of the windows flanking the
doorway can now be seen, the other having been partly destroyed and
covered by Perpendicular panelling when the new library stair was built
in the south-west corner of the room." (Hope.)

"At the south-west corner of the chapter-house is a large winding stone
staircase, with a stone handrail worked in the newel, and also in the
side wall." (F. S. W.)

The lower part of this west wall shows distinct traces of fire, which
the upper part does not. This seems to confirm the idea that when the
fire of 1102 broke out and destroyed so much, it burned down the
cloister and the temporary roof of the chapter-house, both of which were
probably of wood.

[Illustration: CHAPTER-HOUSE.

Plan of the Chapter-House, as shown--A.D. 1727--in Willis'
"Survey of Cathedrals." A good general idea of the
fittings formerly in the Chapter-House may be seen in
Bonnor's work, published in 1709, but on his plan they
occupy the two bays eastward, instead of west, as here