The Chapter House, Cockersand Abbey

The Chapter House at Cockersand Abbey, a building from the early 13th century, was originally part of a Premonstratensian abbey founded between 1180 and 1190. It was later converted into a burial chamber for the Dalton family, likely in the mid-18th century. Constructed from red sandstone rubble with a slate roof, the building has an octagonal plan that has been squared off on the west side, making it appear rectangular from the outside, with a three-sided projection at the east.

The west wall has been significantly rebuilt and features a doorway that is now partly blocked, along with a smaller door. This doorway has a round arch moulded in two orders and capitals for angle shafts, which are currently missing. The three visible sides from the east have an embattled parapet and buttresses with offsets at their angles. Each side contains a blocked window with a sill at the level of the springing of its moulded pointed arch. The mouldings are made of cement, and evidence of rebuilding below the sill level suggests that the openings were once larger.

Inside, the Chapter House has a vaulted roof adorned with foliated bosses, supported by a central compound pier with a stiff-leaf capital. The stonework is limewashed, and some details, including the carved head stops to the hood moulds, have been restored in cement. The walls are arcaded, featuring pointed arches moulded in two orders with angle shafts, although the outer shafts are now missing. Some of the arches are filled with inscribed slate memorials dedicated to the Dalton family of Thurnham Hall, including one for Robert Dalton, who died in 1785. The site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.