York Guides

This impressive flight of 30 steps is reached through an archway at the east end of the south range of claustral buildings. It was built towards the end of the twelfth century, and replaced an earlier flight in the east range. There arc holes for the attachment of a handrail on the right-hand side of the steps and, above these, holes for beams that once supported the floor of a loft over the lower part of the flight. Higher still, it can be seen that the staircase was once vaulted in stone.

The landing at the top of the steps had three doorways, only one of which now survives. A doorway on the left once led to the dormitory ; one in front led to the first floor of a building in the warming house yard; the surviving one on the right leads to a room over the warming house.