The history of the lodging called 'Meister Omers' goes back to the early fourteenth century. Meister Omer himself was an archdeacon's official and from 1249-80 was a legal advisor to the Priory. He had an office, which still existed in 1309, close to the Prior's New Lodging and near the site of the present building. Its name occurs in a list of places where the Prior's pares were kept. Meister Omer's name became attached to a set of lodgings built to the north-east of the Infirmary- but separate from it since lay men and women (who were not permitted to lodge within the Monastery) stayed there. The original plan of these buildings cannot be discovered, but they includeed a range running east-west which may possibly have been Prior Eastry's Camera Plumbata of 1291, also mentioned in the List in Register I just above Camera Magistri Homerii. This range was immediatley north of the house now called 'Meister Omers'.

In 1376-77 a 'new work' was in progress at Meister Omer's lodgings under the auspices of Prior John Vynch when new lodgings and other works were undertaken. Retired Bishop John Buckingham lodged at Meister Omers for a year until his death in 1397, after which Prior Chillenden moved in and substantially repaired the building and extended the lodgings of Meister Omers, the work being finished by 1404. Chillenden died in residence there in 1411. In 1433 Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, lodged there and by 1435 the Cardinal had built a hall on a new site to the south of the lodgings called Meister Omers, and it is this building which has survived and now bears Meister Omer's name. In 1444-45 the roof of the hall and chambers was replaced and new brick fireplaces installed. The Cardinal died there in 1447.

Meister Omers Hall is a large rectangular building some 117 feet long E-W by 34 feet wide N-S, and comprises a large hall, paasages, buttery, pantry, Large kitchen, cellar, and chambers and a gallery above the service wing. The Hall is of 4 bays and is some 58 feet long by 29 feet wide (internally) and was originally open to the roof (an upper floor was added during the later 16th century). Externally there are a series of buttresses and large oposing oriel windows in the sides at the east end. The main entrance door was at the west end of the hall in the north wall and adjacent is a stair tower giving access to chambers and gallery over the service end to the west. The hall was separated from the services at the west end by a wooden panelled partion beyond which was a buttery and pantry with an E-W passage between (27 feet long) with cellar under. Beyond was a cross passage and a large kitchen some 18 feet square.

The Building survives, with 19th century additions as a Listed Building - 'Meister Omers', 16 The Precincts.

Driver, J. C., Rady, J., Sparks, M., 1990, Excavations in the Cathedral Precincts, 2 Linacre Garden, 'Meister Omers' and St Gabriel's Chapel. (Monograph). SKE29781.

Collinson, P., Ramsey, N. & Sparks, M., 1995, A History of Canterbury Cathedral (Monograph). SKE30201.