The cloisters are on the north side of the church, and form a quadrangle of about 110 feet square; originally, there were four walks, but the south walk is destroyed. The general style of the cloisters is that of the fifteenth century, with carved key-stones at the intersections of the vaulting, the arches of the windows are depressed; a lavatory projects from the west walk of the cloisters, and did extend along the south walk; over the east walk was a dormitory, which was sometime ago destroyed, much to the injury of the appearance of these conventual ruins. It is obvious that the present cloisters are only a restoration of an earlier one. In the east walk of the cloisters is the entrance into the Chapter House, or rather its singular vestibule, 30 feet 4 inches long, and 27 feet 4 inches wide. The vaulted roof of this apartment is supported by four columns without capitals, surrounded by eight slender shafts. The Chapter room itself is an elegant building, 35 feet high, 50 feet long, and 26 broad. The stone vaulting rests on clusters of slender shafts, with foliated capitals; all the windows are in the latest style, those at the east and west ends consist of five lights each. A gallery goes round three sides of the room, and where it passes the windows is carried between the mullions, and a corresponding series of light shafts connected with them, which have elegant sculptured capitals, and support the mouldings of the lancet arches above. Notwithstanding the soft nature of the stone, the carving is all in an excellent state of preservation.
Pennant has ascribed the erection of this beautiful building to Randle Meschines, on the ground of his having removed the body of Hugh Lupus, “de cœmiterio in capitulum,” as mentioned in his charter to the Abbey; and he is, most probably, right in supposing that the same respect would have been paid at the time of his death, if a Chapter House had then existed. This argument, however, merely tends to prove that the Chapter House was built by Handle Meschines, but as far as can be inferred from the architecture, it may be reasonably doubted whether any part of the present Chapter House was built long before the extinction of the local earldom. The learned Dr. Ormerod is of opinion that this is about the date of its erection, and he is supported by several other competent authorities, who concur with him on the point.
In the Chapter House are preserved some interesting local relics, among which is a red sand stone, 24 inches by 8 inches, found on the site of the Deanery, bearing this inscription:—
Mr. Roach Smith, an eminent authority in such matters, says that this inscription is to be ascribed to the century of Ocratius Maximus, of the first Cohort of the 20th Legion; it has evidently been a facing stone, probably in the city wall; it resembles in character the centurial commemorations on the stones in the great northern wall, and like them, apparently refers to the completion of a certain quantity of building.
There is also the head part of a stone coffin, found by persons employed in digging in the Chapter House in 1723. The scull and bones were entire, and lay in their proper position, enveloped in an ox-hide. On the breast was a piece of cloth, the texture of which could not be ascertained. It has been supposed by Pennant and others, that these remains were those of Hugh Lupus, which were removed hither from the churchyard, by his nephew Randle, Earl of Chester. Ormerod seems to be of opinion that this relic designated the place of sepulchre of Abbot Simon Ripley. It is now generally admitted by those most competent to form a judgment on the subject, that Ormerod has given a true interpretation of this interesting relic. The initials, he says, are clearly S. R., and the wolf’s head corresponds in style of carving with a similar one introduced by Simon Ripley on the tower of Saighton Manor House. There are also two shot-torn banners of the 22nd Cheshire regiment of Infantry, which were received from India, after that gallant corps had been presented with new colours, and were presented by the government to the then Dean of Chester (Dr. Davys) for preservation in the Cathedral.
The appearance of this noble room would certainly be much improved by the removal of the unsightly bookcases, which are not in the slightest unison with the beautiful architecture they so much obstruct. Mr. Ashpitel says, “he considers the Chapter House, with its singularly tasteful vestibule, to be the finest in the kingdom of its form;” and has animadverted, with deserving severity, upon the tastelessness of a professed architectural critic, who could pass over the building with the disparaging criticism, “poor enough?” He (Mr. Ashpitel) had been told the same story, but he found beauties which grew upon him more and more at every visit. The Norman remains, he says, are extremely fine—there is work of all kinds of great beauty; and there are the most curious and instructive transitions from style to style that perhaps were ever contained in one building.
The north walk of the cloister contained the chief entrance into the refectory of the convent, which still remains a magnificent apartment, now divided by a modern passage, the eastern and greater portion being used as the King’s School. It was seventy-eight feet long, and thirty-four feet high, with a roof of oak resting on brackets, which was removed some years ago. Six pointed windows with intervening buttresses lighted the north side, and four the south. At the east end were three lancet-shaped windows, with slender detached shafts, all included within one greater arch. In the south east angle of this once noble room, is a flight of steps within the wall, with a projection at the upper end like a stone pulpit; these steps led to the ancient dormitory, and opens into the refectory by an elegant range of pointed arches, trefoiled within, whose spandrils are pierced with a series of quatrefoils.
We now direct the visitor’s attention to a portion of the Norman edifice, which has of late excited very deep interest, the Promptuarium, lately excavated: