Hopewell Studios

  The church was the most important building of a monastery, the place where all prayer services were conducted. Known as the Oratorium, it was built in the shape of a cross symbolising the crucifixion, and all Cistercian churches were dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The east end of the church was the top of the cross, and as seen in the film was no bigger than the two arms of the cross; the film is set before the extension work to enlarge the presbytery, which was completed under John of Kent (abbot from 1220 to 1247) and is known as the chapel of the nine altars (see right).

Another noticeable late addition to the church is the ornate tower put up 300 years after the film’s setting by Marmaduke Huby (abbot from 1494 to 1526) and which is a distinguishing feature of Fountains for miles around.

After the church in importance came the cloister; the square open area at the heart of the abbey. Silence was to be observed in the cloister at all times. As shown in the film there was a covered arcade running along each of the four sides, with the Church on the north side.

Next on the east side is the Chapter House. The building gets its name from the reading of chapters from The Rule of St. Benedict, the book which governed monastic life. On either side of the entrance were two small library rooms for the storing of books and manuscripts. Above the Chapter House was the abbot's chamber, connected to the dormitory.

A short passage connected the Cloister and the infirmary. This arcade led past the cemetery, which was to the east of the church, past the misericord - where the dead were washed and prepared for burial - all the way to the White Monks infirmary. This was the place where sick and old monks were housed, and was run by a monk called the Infirmarius who served as the doctor. All that is left of the infirmary and its surrounding buildings now is ruined outlines and occasional bits of wall. 

The main infirmary hall was 170 feet long and consisted of a central nave with an aisle running all the way around. There was a fireplace at each end. To the east of the hall was the infirmary kitchen. The interior was divided into two sections; kitchen and scullery. A small courtyard lay between the kitchen and the infirmary chapel next door, which was for use by the sick and elderly who could not make the journey to the main church. Adjoining the chapel was a cellar with rooms above.

Back in the cloister now we move onto the south side, beginning with the warming house. Here was where the great fires burned during winter, where the brothers were permitted occasional respite from the cold. The interior wall opposite the fires featured two apertures into the adjoining refectory, providing some heat for that room as well. In the cloister outside is a recess that was probably a towel cupboard, which would have benefited from the heat of the fire behind the wall. The south end of the warming house led out into a yard between the dormitory and refectory, overlooking the river. There was a wood shed beneath the south end of the dormitory, and in the film we see monks chopping wood in the yard.  

This view is seen through the window of the muniment room, which was above the warming house and was where the abbey held paperwork, such as deeds, and money - in those days monasteries were used as banks where items could be left securely.

Next door to the warming house was the refectory, where the monks ate their meals. On either side of the main entrance were the water troughs where handwashing was done (see below left). Inside the refectory were five arches carried on four marble pillars supporting the roof. There was a turnstile hatchway where food arrived from the kitchen next door. The kitchen was divided into two rooms, with two fireplaces back-to-back in the middle. It was placed between the White monks refectory and the Lay brothers' refectory in the cellarium so each could be easily served. 

The cellarium was a huge building over 300 feet long, divided into sections with the northern half mainly used as a storehouse. It is this part that forms the west side of the cloister square. The Lay Brothers' dormitory occupied the entire upper floor, with day stairs halfway along by the Cellarers' office, and night stairs leading into the church at the far north end. The southern end of the cellarium actually bridged the river. Also at that end, linked with the dormitory, was the Lay Brothers' reredorter; the toilets. As with the reredorter of the White Monks it housed partitioned water closets on the upper floor, which drained into the river below. 

  Nearby were the Lay Brothers' infirmary and the Guest House, which consisted of several buildings. The Guest House was important to an abbey because the Rule Of St Benedict said that all guests must be greeted as if they were Christ himself.

  Further out into the grounds of the monastery were a malthouse, a bakehouse, a chapel, and just upstream a mill, and doubtless more buildings such as workshops and stables. The entire precinct was surrounded by a boundary wall, with an outer gatehouse built into it.