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In the 13th century, three centuries before the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter would become Gloucester Cathedral, an infirmary was built on the northern side. The infirmary was connected to the abbey by a 'slype', a covered passage leading to the cathedral cloisters.

In the 15th century, the infirmary acquired its own cloisters, the Little Cloister, the west alley of which was at some stage incorporated into the Little Cloister House, originally built in the 13th century and now part of King's School.

The east end of the infirmary was demolished in the 17th century, while the west end was incorporated into a block of tenements. The east and west alleys of the Little Cloisters were demolished around the same time, leaving only the garth walls, the inner walls enclosing the central garden.

The tenements were removed in 1860, revealing the infirmary arches we see today. The remains of the Little Cloisters were restored to their current condition in the 20th century. Following the discovery of erosion and cracking, the arches were placed on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2023.