York Guides

This was built against the west end of the lay-brothers' reredorter towards the end of the twelfth century, and is carried over the river on four parallel vaulted tunnels. It was a great hall with aisles to east and west and with arcades of six bays on slender octagonal piers.

Only the north wall now stands to any height, with a central doorway and a well proportioned group of three windows above. The half-gable of the east aisle has an unusual quadrant window, and the outer walls of both aisles, now mostly gone, appear to have been built about two feet outside the ends of the tunnels and carried on arches springing from the cutwaters.

The general arrangements would be similar to those of the great hall of the monks' infirmary, with the sick beds in the aisles and the central nave used for the general services of the establishment. The east aisle may also have had wooden stairs up to the doorway in the west end of the lay-brothers' reredorter.

Another building, perhaps a kitchen, once stood outside the southwest angle of this infirmary hall.

From the north-west angle of the lay-brothers' infirmary a high wall runs along the north bank of the river to the guest houses, and an archway in this wall leads to a bridge across the Skell. It was built in the twelfth century and is a rare survival, for few bridges of that date still exist in this country. Its three ribbed arches are separated by triangular cutwaters both upstream and downstream. Its parapets are of later date.