Bedford
Priory Country Park
Places > Bedford > Parks
1066: Two mills were recorded under Goldington and Putnoe entries in the Domesday Book, one of which was on the site at Newnham.
12th Century: Newnham Priory was founded by the Beauchamp family in the mid 12th century who granted land from their Goldington estate to the college priests attached to St. Paul's Church, Bedford. The Priory was dissolved in 1540 and granted to the Gostwicke family. The buildings were partially demolished and the remains converted into a mansion. Some of the stone is said to been used to build the 16th century dovecote and stables at Willington. No trace now remains of the Priory buildings but the remains of the Priory fishponds can still be detected in a field west of the Marina, between the disused railway line and the river.
1860s: The railway and the new cut were constructed across the neck of the loop, splitting the Priory precinct in two and cutting most of Newnham off from the rest of Goldington parish.
1897:The old mill pool was modified to form Newnham Swimming Baths
1950s: The area was excavated until 1978 for gravel. The gravel was initially used to convert the airfield at Thurleigh, used during the Second World War by the American 306 Bomber Group, into an aircraft testing site.
1982: Work started on the development of the park by Bedford Borough Council and The Countryside Commission.
1986: Valerie Singleton officially opens Priory Country Park. The new park covers 206 acres of wasteland and old gravel pits off Barkers Lane. The name was taken from the Augustinian Priory.
2004: For the third year in a row Priory County Park wins a Green Flag Award. The award is presented annually to parks that are well-managed, adopt good environmental practices and are well used by the public.
2008: The Labyrinth, a timber structure of locally sourced oak and designed by Bedford artist Susannah Oliver opened to the public. The Labyrinth design was chosen because it reflects the historical existence of Newnham Priory on the site.
Page last updated: 3rd February 2014