A monastery is a community of monks or nuns living under religious vows, and also the buildings in which they live, worship and work. A typical medieval monastery included a church, a cloister surrounded by covered walks, a chapter house, a dormitory, a refectory for communal meals, kitchens, an infirmary and accommodation for guests, often set within extensive farmland.
In Britain, monasteries flourished from the early medieval period until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the 1530s, when their lands and buildings were seized by the Crown and sold or granted to courtiers. Many were demolished or left as romantic ruins, while others were converted into great houses, giving rise to the names Abbey and Priory attached to many country houses. Monastic life shaped many antique forms and terms, including the long refectory table, the monk's bench, the lectern, choir stalls and vestment chests, and fragments of carved stone, tiles and panelling from former monastic sites appear on the market. Furniture described as monastic or ecclesiastical should be checked carefully, as many such pieces were made or assembled later. Restored monastic buildings still inspire calm, simple and timeless interiors.
