The Priory Church of St. Peter is all that remains of the Augustinian Dunstable Priory. Established by Henry I in 1131, and built from Totternhoe quarry stone in the Norman style, the Priory was dedicated by Bishop Hugh II of Lincoln on 18th October, 1213. In December 1290, the body of Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I, lay here for one night en route to Westminster Abbey.  St. John’sFraternity restored the building before the Reformation. In 1533 the court of annulment took place in our Lady Chapel. This ended the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, signalling the break with Rome and beginning the Church of England. The building was much reduced at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. As well as its historical importance, the Priory has been a place of worship over the centuries for the people of the town, as it still is today.

For latest information and research visit the Medieval Dunstable Project