Berkshire History for Kids: Dormitory

Where Monks Slept

The monks slept here in beds lined up along the walls.
You still find dormitories today in places like boarding schools and youth hostels.
There was no need for any decoration.
There were stairs down to the cloister. It was a short walk, through the cloister to the abbey church, for services in the night.
The 'long gallery' of Abingdon Abbey was probably a dormitory, but for guests or 'lay brothers', not monks. It still stands today.