Place Name
A reference to what was once one of the most important buildings in England, the chapter house of Merton Priory. Today the Priory has disappeared and all that is left, hidden beneath the Merantun Way flyover, are the remains of the Chapter House. The Wandle Valley website tells its sorry tale and hopes of bringing it back to wider public attention: “Merton Priory Chapter House is arguably one of the most important heritage sites in England, linked to the origin of English Law and the likes of King John, King Henry VIII and Thomas Beckett. This Scheduled Ancient Monument is 900 years old and from 1114 until its dissolution in 1538, Merton Priory was one of the country’s biggest and most influential monastic houses. All that remains today are the extensive foundations of its substantial and historically important Chapter House, hidden beneath a concrete underpass between a Pizza Hut and Sainsbury’s car park. Lack of resources has meant that the Chapter House and its archaeological relics haven’t been regularly accessible to the public.” A chapter house is a building or room within an abbey or priory where the monastic community or clergy meets to conduct official business. The term chapter refers to both the physical structure and the assembly that gathers there. In medieval religious institutions, the chapter house was typically located near the cloisters, often adjacent to the church, and that was the case at Merton. The Chapter is the governing body of a religious community, consisting of the abbot or abbess and the monks, nuns, or canons under their leadership. The term originates from the practice of reading a chapter of the Rule of Saint Benedict or other religious texts during the meetings. The primary functions of the Chapter were both spiritual and administrative, making the chapter house a place for daily readings and prayers, discussions of discipline, administrative decision-making, including the election of a new Prior, and confession and reconciliation. In larger monastic settings, the Chapter would also interact with the surrounding community, administering lands, rents, and any external holdings owned by the abbey or priory. Chapter houses were often designed as large, sometimes elaborately decorated rooms, where all members could gather in a circle, emphasising the equality of all under the Prior’s authority.
