For them everything is fixed by weight, measure
and number.
A pound of bread, a pint of drink, two dishes of cabbage and beans.
If they sup, the remnants of their former meal are dished up again
except that, instead of the two cooked dishes, fresh vegetables,
if
they are to be had, are served. (63)
[Walter Daniel, Life of Aelred.]
The refectory at Fountains stood at the centre
of the southern range, and was one of the finest of the monastery buildings.
It dates from the late twelfth
century, and was part of Robert
of Pipewell’s (1170-1180) magnificent building
programme. This was a complex and impressive structure, which extended southwards
from the cloister and ran over the River Skell. The interior would have been
lime-washed white, with mock lines traced to give the impression of masonry.(64)
