Buildings, general

A rescue dig in 1985 revealed:  ‘the building stone is crawshaw sandstone, a medium- to coarse-grained sub-arkose containing about 8% felspar;  the colour ranges from orange-buff to buff-grey and there is ferric iron staining.’ … ‘The lithology and colour of sandstone at Quarry Hill (SK471378) offer close parallels with those of the building stone at Dale Abbey (D1990).
 
Dormitory:  over the sacristy, slype and 2 western bays of the chapter house, and common room (H80).
In 1233 Henry III gave 4 oaks and in 1235 7 oaks for shingles for the dormitory roof (C41).
 
Refectory:  the north wall of the cowshed has 1 bay of the vaulting of the refectory cellarage, while the south wall is indicated on the east face of the chimney (WARD).

Discovery of fragment of the foundations to the south fixes the refectory width at 25 feet (HOPE).
Internal width 7.5m (24.6 feet) (TP).
The undercroft vault had been ribbed, and the refectory floor tiled (TP).

(The cowshed mentioned by Ward was extended southwards  in the 1980’s and now forms the garage of Abbey House. A witness  of the vault is still there on the inner face of the N wall. The footings of the S wall run directly under the front of the garage. The top of the S wall  remnant is about a foot  (30cm) below  current ground level: the garage is built on a raft and so passes over it).
 
Base Court:  at south-east corner of chimney are indications of lofty and substantial wall extending south-wards;  this was probably the western boundary of the base-court, immediately south of the refectory (WARD).
THE LAST SENTENCE FROM "THIS WAS" HAS NOW TO BE REVISED IN THE LIGHT OF THE 1985 EXCAVATION. THE BASE COURT WAS PROBABLY FURTHER SOUTH WHERE NOW IS FIELD.  HOPE ANTICIPATED THIS.
The base court consisted of brewhouse, bakehouse, malthouse, mentioned in 1490 (WARD).
 
Kitchen:  in the south-west corner of the claustral range.  'Curious mass of masonry .... projected considerably southward of the refectory, the south wall of the latter being indicated in its eastern face.'  This projecting portion has always been exposed to the outer air. 'At the south-east angle are indications of a lofty and substantial wall extending southwards. This probably was the western boundary of the base court.'  Ward thought the chimney door led into a passageway into the kitchen.  Hope thought the chimney was part of the kitchen.