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• Restoration work to Dunstable’s Priory House has revealed 800 years of hidden history, including rare wall paintings, and fragments of wallpaper and fabrics chosen to decorate the rooms from the 16th to the early 19th centuries
• Radiocarbon dating confirms the building’s vaulted ceiling dates to the 13th century
• Discoveries will help shape how visitors experience Priory House when it reopens in 2027
• Repair and restoration to Dunstable’s Grade II* listed Priory House is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England
Remarkable discoveries have been made about the history of Dunstable’s Priory House during restoration and repair work to revitalise the Grade II* listed building.
Nationally significant wall paintings, medieval doorways, and potential evidence of superstitious rituals have been revealed.
Priory House survives as part of the original Dunstable Priory. Since 2022, a specialist team has worked alongside construction contractors and structural engineers to repair and stabilise the building. The project is grant funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund (£1,142,730) and Historic England (£684,312).
Uncovering layers of history
The work of HB Archaeology & Conservation Limited has uncovered layers of history dating back to the 13th century. Radiocarbon dating of organic material found within the building’s vaulted ceiling confirms this date range.
The team also found evidence of the building’s earliest layout, including a doorway that once linked the High Street to the Priory grounds, and the location of a central hearth that would have warmed the room above.
Following the Priory’s dissolution in 1540, Priory House was converted into a home. Fireplaces added during this period show it was divided into two heated rooms on the first floor.
Rare wall paintings
Traces of wall paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries were also found in these rooms. Wall paintings and stone conservation expert Dr Andrea Kirkham identified up to five separate decorative schemes on one wall alone, showing the rooms were redecorated many times over the centuries.
The wall paintings uncovered are considered nationally significant but remain fragile. Conservation work by Claudia Fiocchetti has taken place to protect them before areas of the building are covered again.
Curious symbolic marks and more
Small marks on the first-floor fireplaces, including compass-drawn circles and a taper burn, suggest residents carried out protective rituals to safeguard their home.
Later discoveries include late 18th-century wallpaper and fabric wall coverings illustrating changing fashions, and fragments of straw plaiting providing evidence of the building’s use as a straw-hat factory in the 19th century.
These findings will help inform how the story of Priory House and Dunstable is shared with the public when the building reopens to visitors in early 2027.
“From a medieval doorway to five layers of wall paintings, to protective symbols scratched by homeowners, to straw hats being made in the attic - Priory House has quietly held onto centuries of Dunstable's story, just waiting for someone to find it.
These findings will help shape how the story of Priory House, and Dunstable itself, is shared when the building reopens to visitors next year. This isn't just about restoring bricks and mortar. It's about giving this community back a piece of its own history, one that's even richer and more surprising than we imagined.” Tony Calladine, East of England Regional Director, Historic England
It’s fantastic to see how the restoration of this Grade II* listed site is progressing. Thanks to the Priory House team’s meticulous work, these archaeological finds have revealed previously hidden stories that will now be safeguarded for the future. Our thanks go to National Lottery players whose funding supports important historical discoveries like this.” Liz Bates, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund
“When Dunstable Town Council embarked on the repairs to Priory House back in 2022 as current custodians we thought we knew all that we could know about this remarkable building, but it turns out that it was hiding much more than we could ever have imagined. It is exciting to learn more about its history and these finds are evidence of why restoring Priory House for future generations is so important. It is a building of significance not just locally but nationally and I am proud that the Town Council has worked with our committed partners to make this happen and to unearth these new finds.” Dunstable Town Mayor Cllr Richard Atwell
While the essential repairs were carried out to the property, we have had the pleasure of uncovering and observing highly significant evidence that not only assisted in confirming the building’s mid-13th century origin but also filled in a lot of blanks in the narrative of this important building’s evolution over the c. 800 years of its life since first built. We have been lucky to work in such a collaborative way with a brilliant team on and off site, working together to share a wide range of knowledge and experience with a view to getting the best results possible, and we know that the results of this collaborative approach and in-depth study will contribute to a greater understanding of the role played by this building in the history of Dunstable.” Maggie Henderson, Director: Historic Buildings, HB Archaeology & Conservation Limited
