The hospital buildings are grouped round an inner and outer quadrangle on the south side of the church. The porter's lodge, the gatehouse known as the Beaufort Tower, and, to the west of it, the great hall occupy the eastern two-thirds of the buildings surrounding the inner quadrangle. The remainder of the northern and the whole of the western range consist of the rooms occupied by the brothers of the hospital. The south side of the quadrangle is partly occupied by the nave of the church; a southern range of rooms abutting on the south-west angle of the south aisle was removed about 1789. The eastern side consists of the cloister and infirmary, which join on to the north wall of the north transept. The outer or entrance court has a gateway from the road on the north side. On the east side is the building known as the 'Hundred Menne's Hall,' on the south the north side of the hall and Beaufort Tower and on the west the kitchen and offices connected with it. All these buildings, with the exception of the eastern range of the inner quadrangle, appear to have been erected within a few years of 1445 by Cardinal Beaufort. The infirmary and cloister were built by Robert Sherborne in the early years of the 16th century, whose initials and motto 'Dilexi Sapientiam' are carved on the oriel window and also in the chimneypieces of the porter's lodge and the room above it. The master's lodging seems originally to have been in the Beaufort Tower and in the rooms over the porter's lodge; but from the early part of the 17th century onward fourteen of the brethren's dwellings, comprising all the northern range to the west of the Beaufort Tower, and part of the western range adjoining, were gradually appropriated to the use of the master, with consequent alterations. Recently a residence has been erected for the master to the north of the hospital.

The buildings generally are of flint and stone rubble, with the exception of the cloister and infirmary, which are of brick and stone and plastered timber.

The northern court is entered from the road by a 15th-century four-centred archway in the bounding wall. Over the arch is a gabled loft of half-timber with herring-bone brickwork, probably the work of Henry Compton (master 1667), whose initials, with the date 1675, are carved on an inserted stone left against the inner side of the wall east of the entrance. On the east side of the courtyard is the 'Hundred Menne's Hall,' now used as a lumber store. The original detail left here comprises a four-centred blocked doorway and two windows in the west face, and in the south wall two windows of two lights. The present large entrance at the north of the west wall and the two windows in the east wall are modern. On the west side of the courtyard the only feature of note is the much-restored square-headed kitchen window of two cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery. The south side of the courtyard is formed by the Beaufort Tower or gatehouse and part of the north side of the hall. The gatehouse is built of ashlar and is externally of three stages, with an octagonal stair-turret at the south-west and two buttresses of four off-sets, the top stages finished with crocketed gables and finials, on the north and south faces. The gateway is four-centred and ceiled by a rich lierne-vault, the central boss of which is sculptured with a cross and crown of thorns. Above the arches, on both north and south faces of the gatehouse, is an enriched cornice carved alternately with heads and four-leaved flowers. The spandrels thus formed are traceried on the north face, and contain the arms of England on the east and of Cardinal Beaufort on the west. The spandrels on the south face are plain. The room over the archway, known as the Muniment Room, has square-headed transomed windows of two cinquefoiled lights on the north, and south. In the west wall is a fireplace with a straightsided four-centred head and moulded jambs. A moulded beam carries the floor of the chamber above, which is lighted by four small cinquefoiled windows, one in each face. Above is a room similarly lighted. Externally these two upper rooms are contained in one stage, divided from the middle stage by an enriched cornice. On the north face are three canopied niches with octagonal pedestals. In the western niche is a statue of Cardinal Beaufort, but the others are unoccupied. In the south face is only one niche, of similar design, placed centrally. The windows of the upper chambers are arranged to clear these niches. The whole is crowned by a moulded cornice with gargoyles at the angles and a parapet with weathered coping. On the west side an octagonal chimney-shaft with embattled capping rises above the parapet. On the east side is a plainer chimney-shaft. The stair-turret has a small four-centred doorway with a label and large head-stops. The hall adjoins the Beaufort Tower on the west side and has five windows, three in the south wall and two in the north wall, all twocentred and of two transomed cinquefoiled lights, with tracery above. There are buttresses of three off-sets between the windows, and the tiled roof is continuous with that of the brethren's dwellings, occupying the remainder of this and the whole of the west side of the inner quadrangle. At the east end is the dais, and at this end of the hall the sills of the windows are lowered and have seats against the jambs, which descend to the floor level. In the east wall is a four-centred doorway leading to the muniment room, approached by a flight of stairs with wooden handrailing and newel-post, with a pelican for finial. In the centre of the floor is a raised tile-hearth. At the west end are the screen and gallery. The gallery projects beyond the face of the screen, and the soffit has a plain plaster cove, while the centre portion has a still greater projection, similarly finished The screen is plain and has two doorways. In the north wall, immediately to the west of the screen, is a small doorway leading to the kitchen block. The collarroof is of four bays with arched four-centred principals, moulded purlins and wall-plates and curved windbraces, the space between the common rafters and the wall-plate being filled by trefoil-headed panelling. The principals rest on stone corbels, carved with angels holding shields of England and Beaufort alternately. The hall is entered at the south-west by a two-centred doorway beneath the gallery, approached by a flight of steps within a lierne-vaulted porch, having a moulded cornice and plain parapet, with a twocentred entrance and angle buttresses of two off-sets. The central boss of the vault is sculptured with the arms of Beaufort with a cardinal's hat. Beneath the hall is a cellar, vaulted in eight bays.

In the upper lights of the windows on the south side of the hall is some old glass, probably of the 15th century, comprising the arms of Beaufort with the cardinal's hat. In the fanlight over the entrance doorway at the south-west end of the hall are some fragments of glass, including the Beaufort arms and some pieces of black and white glass, probably of 14th-century date, and brought hither from the nave windows of the church.

The kitchen block runs out at right angles from the north-west end of the hall. The fireplace at the north end of the kitchen has been much modernized. In the south wall is a large serving-hatch to the buttery, with two four-centred openings and a large falling flap. The roof is supported by a truss with tie-beam and king-post, braced collar and central purlin. In the two-light window lighting the passage from the screens to the kitchen is a piece of original glass with the inscription 'R. S. Dilexi Sapienciam, 1497.' The initials are those of Robert Sherborne, the then master.

To the west of the hall is the former residence of the master, modernized at various dates, which it is now proposed to restore to its original purpose. To the west of the entrance hall is a room containing some fine early 17th-century panelling, with a Latin inscription in ornate Roman characters on the frieze. The panelling now remains on the west wall only, but must formerly have extended round the room, to judge from the fragmentary nature of the inscription. In the window in the closet recess at the north side of the entrance hall are some fragments of 17th-century heraldic glass, including the arms of the hospital impaling those of Henry Compton. A modern stair at the north-east corner of the entrance hall leads to the first floor in two flights. On the east wall of the landing is carved in stone a shield which appears to be the arms of the town of Southampton impaling Courtenay with a label. The tinctures have disappeared. In the windows of the passage on the north side of the first floor are several pieces of heraldic glass, probably of 17th-century date, together with some small circular pieces, probably Flemish, of the 16th century, representing the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple, Christ Crowned with Thorns and the Entombment. The heraldic glass includes the shields of William of Wykeham and of Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, 1531–56. The lettering on the garter surrounding the latter resembles the lettering on the frieze of the panelling mentioned above.

The brethren's dwellings, which occupy the remainder of the western range of buildings, each consist of a bedroom, living-room and scullery, and are arranged in fours, two on each floor, entered by a common doorway and staircase. They are lighted on the front towards the quadrangle by plain squareheaded two-light windows. The entrance doorways have four-centred heads, and the projecting chimney-stacks, with their octagonal flue shafts and embattled capping, form the main feature of this elevation.

A water-course known as the Lock Burn is carried round the rear of the buildings, and over this the garderobe projections are carried on small twocentred drop-arches. The water-course is no longer utilized as a drain. The partitions are original and still retain their four-centred doorways.

The ground floor of the short block of buildings to the east of the Beaufort Tower is occupied by the porter's lodge. The room over is floored with plaster and is lighted on the east by a square-headed window of four cinquefoiled lights with an external label. The fireplaces in this and the porter's lodge beneath are inscribed 'R S Dilexi Sapienciam anno Domini 1503.' There is a room in the roof lighted by a small window of two cinquefoiled lights in the east gable which terminates the northern range. This room is reached by a staircase in the north-east angle inclosed in the original framed and panelled partition.

The lower part of the eastern or infirmary range is occupied by an open-arcaded ambulatory. At the northern end both stories are of brick and stone with an embattled parapet, and the stairs to the infirmary are contained within an octagonal turret. The upper part of the southern portion is of timber and plaster and supported on the quadrangle side by a timber arcade of six bays with four-centred arches and traceried spandrels on a continuous brick plinth. The bay below the oriel window of the infirmary has a plain two-light window. The oriel window is of four trefoiled lights on the front face, with a similar light on each side. Below the sills of these latter are buttresses of two off-sets, standing on the ground, and the whole is carried by two two-centred droparches of brick supported by a central octagonal shaft and abutting upon the angle buttresses. The central shaft is of brick with stone base and capital, on which is carved Robert Sherborne's motto 'Dilexi Sapientiam.' The upper portion of the oriel is of brick with stone tracery in the light. Below the sill is a stone bearing the name of Henry Compton. The lower portion, including the angle buttresses, is of brick and flint diaper. The interior of the infirmary is quite plain, and the southern end is formed by the north wall of the north transept of the church, through the eastern window of which the interior may be seen. The old church clock, made by William Skikelthorp of London in the year 1737, is stored away here.

At the back of the western range, containing the brethren's dwellings, is a garden appropriated to their use. North of this, extending to the road, is the master's kitchen garden, and on the east side of the hospital is the master's private garden.

HOSPITAL BUILDINGS