Since the 14th century the area south of High Street between Waxhouse Gate and Holywell Hill has been called Vintry. The name is said to derive from the Abbey vineyards which may have lain in the northeast corner of the Abbey precinct. Vines were certainly cultivated in St. Albans district in the Middle Ages, as a 13th century vineyard is recorded close to the modern swimming pool at Westminster Lodge. Today, vines on the north wall of the garden are a vivid reminder of Medieval times, although the Medieval Vineyard probably only occupied what today is the grassy area behind you. For most of the Middle Ages the Bintry Garden itself was used for the monks’ graveyard, only the Abbots were buried in the Abbey itself.*
*from an information board next to the garden entrance