The Cathedral Cloisters before clearance

In the early 19th century the walks of the cathedral cloisters were still largely occupied by the buildings constructed there in the Commonwealth. With the growing appreciation of the cathedral's artistic distinction these seemed increasingly incongruous, and in 1817 those which backed onto the cathedral nave - the 'miserable hovels' - were demolished.

This engraving is the only known record of the hovels.

Acknowledgments: RAM Museum