Chapter House

First Appearance and Context

The Chapter House is referenced when an avout avoids a crowded approach to the Mynster by doubling back into this space, described as a wide spot in the gallery that surrounds the Cloister. From here, a back exit leads into a covered alley that runs between chalk halls and workshops.

Structure and Features

• Not a separate freestanding building so much as a widened section of the cloister gallery, functioning as an antechamber or node along the walkway.
• A rear doorway opens into a covered alley whose walls are lined with niches used for storing work in progress; ends and corners of half‑written manuscripts can be seen protruding, yellowing and curling with age.
• Its position on the gallery makes it part of the everyday circulation through the math’s inner precincts.

Relationships and Functions

• Serves as a connector between the cloistered walkways and back‑of‑house corridors (chalk halls, workshops), and as a practical alternative route when the main approaches to the Mynster are congested.
• Lies within the broader grounds of the mathic Concent, tying together workspaces and ceremonial routes without requiring passage through exterior courts.

Current Status

Active and in regular use as an interior passage and staging area, with its back exit providing convenient access to the covered alley and onward paths toward the Mynster.