Domus And Ruins Of Lay Frater

The Domus and ruins of Lay Frater, now serving as a museum and restaurant, date from the late 13th century and have undergone alterations in the 17th and 18th centuries, with restorations completed between 1900 and 1910 and around 1970. The building is constructed from coursed rubble stone with stone dressings and features an old plain tile roof. It is a long structure oriented on a north-south axis, with the northern section being the complete Domus over a cellarium and a passage leading to a cloister. The middle section was originally vaulted but the lay frater has since been destroyed, while the southern part has been significantly altered and its original use is uncertain.

The main facade, facing west, features a 20th-century medieval-style gabled porch at the northern end, which has a bell-cast roof and a wide archway with a segmental arch. The ground floor includes rectangular lancet windows, with two tall pointed lancets near the southern end. A 13th-century pointed doorway is situated between these window types. On the first floor, the central section has a rectangular lancet, and to the north, there is a large stack on the roof face along with a 16th-century cross-window, mirrored by a similar window to the south. A brick stack is located at the southern end, and there is a rectangular, louvred, hip-roofed vent on the north gable wall. The northern end was rebuilt in the 16th century, originally adjoining the south aisle and west face of the church, and features both round-headed and square-headed archways, along with two 16th-century cross-windows beneath labels.

Inside, the ground floor has single chamfered ribs supported by corbels, while the first floor boasts a Queen-strut roof with large tie-beams. The ruined section retains remnants of lancets on the west side and a 20th-century archway. Additionally, 20th-century toilet blocks have been constructed within this section and the southern part. Visible remains of vaults can be seen, and at the southern end, there is a 13th-century three-order round-headed arch that has been reset from St Leonard's Chapel in the 20th century.