More medieval toilets

This really isn't an obsession -- we just report what we read:

Archaeologists have unearthed where monks at Chester Cathedral spent a penny. They located a latrine discharging into a medieval stone drain which still serves the cathedral to this day. . .

Chester Cathedral stands on the site of a Benedictine monastery and a extra storey is being added on top of the former monks' dormitory where the school will be housed.

Archaeologist Simon Ward said: 'Medieval abbeys were renowned for their elaborate water and drainage systems in an age when sanitary arrangements were usually very basic. St Werburgh's Abbey obtained a well in Newton in 1278 from which they built a conduit.

'Then in 1282 they were granted a spring at Christleton (still known as the Abbot's Well) and the following year they were granted permission to lay pipes to the abbey. These led to the cistern or tank in the centre of the cloister from where the water could be piped around the abbey.'

Other finds include Roman buildings believed to be parts of timber barrack blocks from the legionary fortress.

Posted by David on April 4, 2003 12:35 PM