The infirmary complex lies to the S of the cathedral, E of the E walk of
the cloister, to which it was once connected by a vaulted passage known as the
Dark Cloister. It consists of a nine-bay aisled hall
running E–W, terminated by a stone screen at
the E with a doorway or archway into the four-bay nave
of the chapel. At the E end of this is a square-ended sanctuary vaulted in two bays. A
doorway in the W bay of the chapel N nave aisle gave
access to the monks' cemetery. Much of this survives, but it has been
incorporated into later buildings. Except for the sanctuary of the chapel the roofs are gone, and the open
passage remaining is now called Firmary Lane.
The N chapel arcade and the E bay of the N hall arcade were blocked
for the construction of Alan of Walsingham's building, named after a sacrist
and later prior of the monastery who was in office between 1321 and 1364, and
probably begun in the 1320s or '30s. On the N side further W is Powcher's Hall,
also begun in the 14thc. Thus the N chapel arcade and
the first bay of the hall arcade are visible in the wall of Alan de Walsingham's
Building. Pier 2 of the N hall arcade is lost, and bays 4 to 9 on
this side are visible, built into the wall of Powcher's Hall. On the S, the
chapel arcade is lost, and is now overbuilt by the
Chapter Office. Further W, the wall of the Black Hostelry, a 13thc. building at
least in part, incorporates bays 1–4 of the S
arcade of the hall. The next two piers are missing, and bays
8–9 are visible in the wall of the Canonry House.
At the E the sanctuary of the chapel has been
incorporated in the two-storey block containing the Chapter Office entrance and
the Deanery. The Dean's Office, on the first floor, contains the upper part,
including the vault. The alignment of the infirmary does not accord with that
of the cathedral, but corresponds with a simple vaulted building to the S, and
for Dixon (2003), 149 this indicates that it may preserve the arrangement of
earlier buildings on the site. The arrangement of an aisled hall with a chapel
at the E end is similar to infirmaries at Peterborough, Canterbury and (later)
Chichester. The Infirmary complex was restored in 1989–96, and
Horton-Krayenbuhl (1997) is an account of the survey carried out at that
time.