The eastern part of the church is the old monastic area.
It is walled off from the public parts by the organ screen, side walls to the quire and cross walls in both aisles.
The riots in 1327 are considered part of the cause, but this coincided with a general trend to wall off monasteries.

The north aisle is a simple passageway interrupted by a flight of steps and the cross wall.
The steps form part of the pilgrimage route to St William's shrine (hence their designation as "The Pilgrim Steps") and are so worn by medieval feet that before 1897 they had to have wooden treads added.

The south aisle was originally the same width as the northern one.
The 14th-century cross wall is still visible filling the arch to the east, now forming the entrance to the vestry over the crypt entrance.
Gundulf's small tower occupied what is now the south western portion of the aisle.
To keep the cloisters uniform, a wall was established from the tower to what is now the cathedral library.
 When the tower was demolished its base along with the enclosed area was incorporated into the south aisle.
The new "Kent Steps" lead up from the widened aisle into the quire transept, whilst the old entrance now gives access to the crypt below.

Archaeological investigations in 2014 revealed an earlier Norman structure underneath the "Kent Steps".
 The foundations of the existing (14th-century) wall have been discovered to be Norman.
 A doorway from the crypt led to a flight of stairs running upwards with a window looking out into the cloisters.
 This work dates from the first phase of the present cathedral.
 The detailed report is expected to be published in late 2016.

Before the Victorian renovations the quire had steeply stepped stalls and a pulpit.
Removal of these revealed the medieval Rota Fortunae ("Wheel of Life") painting and the original patterning of the walls.
The existing wall pattern is modern, being a copy of that found, but the painting's main subject is untouched.
Above the painted walls the triforium is blind arched with the clerestory and sextipartite vaulting above.
Some of the earlier timbers have been reused in the stalls, but most of the work is 19th-century.

Before Scott's work the quire stalls continued in their high-backed form and cut off the quire transepts.
They are now open and form a single space to accommodate a larger congregation when required.
The south transept has two openings which no longer lead anywhere; one originally led to the crypt (before the south aisle was widened), the other led up to the Indulgence Chamber.

The north transept was the site of St. William's shrine and the center of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.
Of St William's shrine little now remains.
Edward Hasted refers to a "large stone chest, much defaced", Palmer notes that the tomb in the easternmost bay of the transept is "reputed to be that of St. William".
The shrine was originally in the centre of the floor.
The whole transept used to be known as St William's Chapel, the railed off area to the east being later called St John the Baptist's Chapel and more lately the Warner Chapel on account of the monuments therein.
Tucked into a corner of the Warner Chapel is a cross of nails.
In the centre of the north wall is the resting place of Walter de Merton, former bishop and founder of Merton College.
Two wooden doors are visible, one of which leads nowhere, access now being from the other side of the wall; the other leads to the cathedral treasury.
This latter is reputed to be one of the oldest doors still in use in England.

The north quire transept and presbytery form a stylistic whole.
The east end however has been substantially remodelled by Scott.
The arcading contains the tombs of various past bishops, that between the Warner Chapel and the presbytery is unusually well preserved.
It is the tomb of de Sheppey which was walled up at some point and forgotten about.
As a result, it escaped the depredations of the English Commonwealth.
The tomb was rediscovered, uncovered and restored by Cottingham from 1825 to 1840.
The eastern part of the church is the old monastic area. It is walled off from the public parts by the organ screen, side walls to the quire and cross walls in both aisles. The riots in 1327 are considered part of the cause, but this coincided with a general trend to wall off monasteries.
The north aisle is a simple passageway interrupted by a flight of steps and the cross wall. The steps form part of the pilgrimage route to St William's shrine (hence their designation as "The Pilgrim Steps") and are so worn by medieval feet that before 1897 they had to have wooden treads added.
The south aisle was originally the same width as the northern one. The 14th-century cross wall is still visible filling the arch to the east, now forming the entrance to the vestry over the crypt entrance. Gundulf's small tower occupied what is now the south western portion of the aisle. To keep the cloisters uniform, a wall was established from the tower to what is now the cathedral library.  When the tower was demolished its base along with the enclosed area was incorporated into the south aisle. The new "Kent Steps" lead up from the widened aisle into the quire transept, whilst the old entrance now gives access to the crypt below.
Archaeological investigations in 2014 revealed an earlier Norman structure underneath the "Kent Steps".  The foundations of the existing (14th-century) wall have been discovered to be Norman.  A doorway from the crypt led to a flight of stairs running upwards with a window looking out into the cloisters.  This work dates from the first phase of the present cathedral.  The detailed report is expected to be published in late 2016.
Before the Victorian renovations the quire had steeply stepped stalls and a pulpit. Removal of these revealed the medieval Rota Fortunae ("Wheel of Life") painting and the original patterning of the walls. The existing wall pattern is modern, being a copy of that found, but the painting's main subject is untouched. Above the painted walls the triforium is blind arched with the clerestory and sextipartite vaulting above. Some of the earlier timbers have been reused in the stalls, but most of the work is 19th-century.
Before Scott's work the quire stalls continued in their high-backed form and cut off the quire transepts. They are now open and form a single space to accommodate a larger congregation when required. The south transept has two openings which no longer lead anywhere; one originally led to the crypt (before the south aisle was widened), the other led up to the Indulgence Chamber.
The north transept was the site of St. William's shrine and the center of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Of St William's shrine little now remains. Edward Hasted refers to a "large stone chest, much defaced", Palmer notes that the tomb in the easternmost bay of the transept is "reputed to be that of St. William". The shrine was originally in the centre of the floor. The whole transept used to be known as St William's Chapel, the railed off area to the east being later called St John the Baptist's Chapel and more lately the Warner Chapel on account of the monuments therein. Tucked into a corner of the Warner Chapel is a cross of nails. In the centre of the north wall is the resting place of Walter de Merton, former bishop and founder of Merton College. Two wooden doors are visible, one of which leads nowhere, access now being from the other side of the wall; the other leads to the cathedral treasury. This latter is reputed to be one of the oldest doors still in use in England.
The north quire transept and presbytery form a stylistic whole. The east end however has been substantially remodelled by Scott. The arcading contains the tombs of various past bishops, that between the Warner Chapel and the presbytery is unusually well preserved. It is the tomb of de Sheppey which was walled up at some point and forgotten about. As a result, it escaped the depredations of the English Commonwealth. The tomb was rediscovered, uncovered and restored by Cottingham from 1825 to 1840.
Rochester Cathedral