At The Priory Centre - St Neots Town Council
At The Priory Centre - St Neots Town Council
At The Priory Centre - St Neots Town Council
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Special 4 Event Saturday 14th October 06 Special Event Saturday 14th October 06<br />
Sp<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mystery of<br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Neots</strong> <strong>Priory</strong><br />
Who was <strong>St</strong> Neot?<br />
Was he Cornish?<br />
Whose is the face on the Alfred Jewel on our Market Square?<br />
Where are the bones of <strong>St</strong> Neot?<br />
Is it true he was only three feet high and a relative of King Alfred?<br />
What lies under the three manhole covers in the Waitrose car park?<br />
How big was the <strong>Priory</strong> and where was it?<br />
What plans are there to develop the heritage of the area?<br />
© Photographs Peter Ibbett<br />
<strong>The</strong> Waitrose car park behind<br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Neots</strong> Market Square has<br />
no trace of the monastic<br />
heritage that provided our<br />
town with its name.<br />
<strong>The</strong> last forty years have seen an upsurge in<br />
interest in the heritage of the largest town<br />
in Cambridgeshire with excellent books<br />
by C F Tebbutt; Rosa Young and David<br />
Bushby and the development of an award<br />
winning museum. <strong>The</strong>re have also been<br />
real improvements in the Market Square<br />
and the Riverside Park. Yet a recent Civic<br />
Trust report pointed out that the <strong>Priory</strong> area<br />
was underdeveloped and lacked heritage<br />
information to bring out that it was the<br />
birthplace of our present town. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Neots</strong> <strong>Town</strong> <strong>Centre</strong> Management<br />
Initiative has gained the funding to provide<br />
a leaflet and an exhibition about the<br />
history of the <strong>Priory</strong> as part of an ongoing<br />
programme to enhance this area of the town.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Monks and the Alfred Jewel on the<br />
Market Square reflect the heritage of<br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Neots</strong>. Could the <strong>Priory</strong> area could be<br />
enhanced by its own historical items?<br />
<strong>The</strong> exhibition in the <strong>Priory</strong> <strong>Centre</strong> on<br />
Saturday 14th October will provide<br />
answers to the questions above as well as<br />
many others. A new leaflet about the <strong>Priory</strong><br />
site will be launched at the event and a<br />
children’s quiz will also be provided. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
will also be an exhibition on the latest<br />
information on the Love’s Farm excavations.<br />
If you have any information about the <strong>Priory</strong> site,<br />
especially any knowledge of stonework from the site please let<br />
Peter Ibbett know at pjibbett@aol.com 01480 812756.<br />
© Photographs Peter Ibbett