The monks’ dormitory at Fountains occupied
the first floor of the eastern range, which was the customary location
for this room. It extended over fifty metres in length and could
have accommodated about 120 monks.(58) During
the day, the monks accessed the dormitory by a staircase from the
cloister. At night, when
they left the dormitory to celebrate the office of Vigils in
the church, they used a separate staircase that provided a covered
passage to their choir. Light shone into the dormitory through
a series of windows on either side, but one or two lanterns would
have burned at all times to prevent misconduct. These lanterns
were placed in such a way to illuminate the monks’ toilet
block (reredorters), which was situated at the far end of
the dormitory.