In the Warm

In the Warm. Abbey Quarter. You are standing in the area of the abbey warming room, where a fire was kept alight from All Saints' Day (1 November) to Easter. Monks were allowed to visit for short periods to warm up - there was no other heating at the abbey., Behind you, in the wall to your right. there are traces of a staircase which led to an upper room., Against the wall behind you and to your left, there was a passageway leading to the infirmary. About 3 metres above ground level there are four curves in the stonework. These suggest that the roof of the passageway was vaulted., The dormitory , In the 12th century when Reading Abbey was built, monks slept in one large open plan room. Later, dormitories were divided into small private areas with wooden partitions. These gave monks more privacy and shelter from draughts. Monks had a short and broken night's sleep. They got up at midnight for the first church service of the day, and the second was at daybreak., Monks' dormitory: The monks slept in a vast open room, to your right, 11.5 metres wide and 12 metres tall. The dormitory connected to a toilet block (the necessarium) through the archway in the far wall., Infirmary: Monks who were very old or unwell stayed in the infirmary. The infirmary had its own kitchens and chapel., Monks didn't have pyjamas- they just slept in their clothes. Luckily in medieval times, a man's undershirt was a lot like a giant nightie, so they didn't get too cold.