Clerk Of The Works Office And The Remains Of The Chapel Of St Catherine Little Cloisters Lodgings

The Clerk of the Works Office and the remains of the Chapel of St Catherine are located within Little Cloisters Lodgings, part of the Abbey Precinct and Westminster School in the City of Westminster. The site incorporates a late 14th-century Farmery cloister on the location of a 12th-century Infirmary, with remnants of a Chapel of St Katherine from around 1170. The cloister arcade dates to approximately 1680-81 and the lodgings and offices were rebuilt in the 18th century, incorporating 14th-century masonry. The buildings suffered significant damage during World War II and have been substantially rebuilt above ground floor level. The construction is primarily stone with 18th and 20th-century brickwork and tiled roofs.

The Farmery cloister is accessed through a tunnel-vaulted passage from the Dark Cloister. The 1680-81 arcade features ashlar piers and segmental arches, original wrought iron railings, and a good wrought iron gate leading to the enclosed garden area. The Chapel of St Katherine, a significant surviving part of the Infirmary east of the cloister, includes a clustered shaft and 2-centred arched doorway, dating from approximately 1371-72. This doorway provides access from the east walk into the chapel ruins, which are situated within the gardens of the lodgings. Portions of the nave and aisles remain, featuring a surviving section of the south arcade and part of the south aisle wall incorporating Norman windows.

Lodgings Nos 1, 2, 2A, 2B, and 4 to 7 incorporate 14th-century stonework to the ground floor, facing onto the cloister and, to the east. The southwest corner contains a fragment of the 11th-century Reredorter wall. The Clerk of the Works Office occupies the 14th-century Chamberlain’s store, and No. 5 incorporates the former Infirmarer's Hall. Late 18th-century architraved doorways provide access to the cloister. The upper floors and roofs were rebuilt post-war in a late 18th-century style, featuring a heavy wooden eaves cornice. No. 4 stands on medieval foundations and is primarily late 18th-century in design, featuring dark red brick, a tiled gable, and a pitched roof. The building has a "L" shape, three bays wide on the north wing and five bays wide on the south front, facing Abbey Garden. The interior retains panelling, cornices, and a closed string staircase with turned balusters. No. 3 lodging was rebuilt after war damage. The windows are glazing bar sashes, set under flat, gauged arches.