Chapter House To Cathedral Church Of St Andrew

The Chapter House to the Cathedral Church of St Andrew was constructed between 1290 and approximately 1307. It is built of Doulting ashlar with blue Lias dressings, with some internal dressings of Purbeck marble, and has a lead roof.

The exterior is octagonal, with deep angle buttresses set back at mid-height, supported by attached pinnacles with gargoyles. A weathered band runs above the undercroft, and below this is an arcade of two-light lancet windows, topped by a parapet with pierced quatrefoils. Each face of the chapter house features two chamfered arched windows to the undercroft, and a full-width four-light window containing Decorated tracery and an ogee hood. A stair passage leading from the north chancel aisle has a moulded parapet and two four-light windows.

The staircase to the Chapter House and the Chain Bridge (listed separately) has two bays, with Purbeck marble vault shafts at the west windows, featuring carved figure shafts and spherical capitals. A Tudor-arched doorway, framed in square stonework, is positioned at the top, above a two-light window with Decorated tracery set within an arch of three orders. Stepped seats are present on the west side, while to the east, the steps curve into a two-bay-wide vaulted lobby with open cusped entrances, trefoils above, panelled walls, and Purbeck marble shafts.

The Chapter House itself features vault shafts in the angles, leading to a fine tierceron vault with a central octagonal shaft and 36 ribs. This central shaft incorporates a Purbeck marble bench, and the sides have two tiers of wall benches, an arcade of gabled seat niches, and a surround of ball flowers framing the windows.

Beneath the Chapter House, the early 13th-century undercroft, formerly the treasury, has a central octagonal column with attached shafts, eight intermediate round shafts, and vault shafts, all with hollow-moulded capitals, and rere arches. A piscina is located by the door and a carved dog is also present. A mid-13th century doorway from the north aisle has a depressed arch and a bar tracery open gable with head stops above, leading to fine 13th-century doors with scrolled ironwork. A three-bay passage from the aisle showcases a sexpartite vault, stiff leaf capitals, pictorial bosses, and head corbels on the east side.

The interior has not been inspected. A minor amendment was made to this listing on 20 February 2018.