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Hello

Does anyone know anything about the recent history of Thurgarton Priory?

Boots used to own the building and I'd like to know what kind of research they were doing. I know they had a number of laboratories inside the house.

They sold the house a number of years ago and I'd like to know what the house is used for now. I believe that at least part of it has become the base for a business dealing in fine art.

Finally, is the church next to the priory accessible to the public?

Thanks,

Jayne

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Not much use, but Thurgarton Priory is owned by Roland Duce, who i worked for many years ago. If you do a director search on him, something may come up that could be an indication of what part of it may be used for. You will see that he has been / is a director of many companies...

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Hi Greyhound Girl. .All Anglican churches should be accessible to the public at some time. If it is the Thurgarton Parish church try Sunday morning or evening. I had a nosey around there a few years ago but was short of time. Promised myself I would come back one day, but always seem to be short of time.

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Some details of the church here and the email address of the vicar .

http://www.thurgarton.org.uk/uploads/files/newsletters/Thurgarton%20People.pdf

I expect you have already seen this for Priory Fine Art

http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=priory-fine-art

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Hello

Does anyone know anything about the recent history of Thurgarton Priory?

Boots used to own the building and I'd like to know what kind of research they were doing. I know they had a number of laboratories inside the house.

Jayne

Twenty odd years ago Boots were conducting animal experiments there...the perimeter fence looked like a concentration camp.They were very sensitive to the animal rights people.

I parked nearby to take a public footpath for a walk with son,dog and camera.Within minutes a Land Rover pulled up alongside me and a security guard jumped out demanding to know where I was going.

Being on a public footpath and having a hatred of overbearing people talking down to me...I advised him where he could stuff his hat and continued on my way.

He drove over the fields and on farm tracks keeping pace with me for over an hour. I returned to my car and was driving back to the main road...

He followed just a few feet off my bumper. On pulling up and getting out of my car with a monopod in my hand he decided to try for the World reversing speed record...I continued my journey thereafter without my 'escort'

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Thanks Scriv - an interesting link, particularly the article on the 1944 Lancaster bomber crash near Wood Barn Lane; discussed elsewhere on this Forum.

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Scriv

Sorry to disagree, but I worked for BT (British Telecom) and did several jobs there in the 80's including a brand new internal phone system, which took around a week due to difficult access to cabling and certain areas of higher security.

To work in there we had to get special access permission from Boots head office and certain areas were very "off limits".

Our security "assistant" in one particular area, was a kennel man, working in the beagle breeding program and puppies were definitly bread there.

As stated the lab and breeding area was like a concentration camp and had in ground vibration sensors as well as the usual camera's everywhere. (I actually installed the phone terminal in the security offices )

The animals were used to test pharmaceuticals. It was all very secretive and I personally saw beagles and puppies in cages with my own eyes, which at the time upset me considerably, and my wife remembers me coming home from work one day very upset after being in there.

The priory itself had some very interesting historical stuff in it at the time.

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..........and puppies were definitly bread there.....

Join the chow chow line and get your fresh hot dogs - made on the premises and the best in Britain.....No Shihtzu!

hot-dog-inside-a-dog-recipe.jpg

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Underground passages usually arouse a bit of interest here and according to this article from the Nottingham Guardian , 27th June 1884 , there was an underground passage from Thurgaton Priory to Wolsely's Palace next to the Minster at Southwell .

Banjo did you see any evidence of an underground passageway ? Sounds amazing if true , Southwell is miles away ! Though looking further , the passageway could have gone via a "nunnery" at Halloughton . All intriguing stuff .

10015408894_7dd4a0c0f9_z.jpg

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Banjo, I bow to your superior knowledge. I knew they kept dogs up there but didn't realise they bred them too.

Since I knew some of the people who worked in the Priory quite well it says a lot for Boots' security I suppose.

There was an unsuccessful local campaign to forestall the opening of the research buildings (R90 and R91) and I think I've told the tale elsewhere about our local greengrocer who upset the daughter of the campaign's organiser by telling her that Boots had asked him to keep extra bananas in, lest the monkeys got out!

The area around the priory is reputed to be haunted by the "Brown Monk", and an old pal of mine who worked for Boots at Chequers Farm used to delight in winding up one of the security guards, o the extent that one of them wouldn't dare get out of his car when he was patrolling on his own at night. Made it a lot easier for Rob and I to set our snares for rabbits!

As for the tunnels; there have been many discussions on this forum and others about secret passages. This particular tale was known to me as a child and it did involve a nunnery at Halloughton.

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A letter about Thurgarton Priory from a Mr Edward F Wirgman , Derby Mercury 16/04/1884 , giving a history going back to 1130 and a bit more info at the end of the letter , giving the situation of the passageway under the crypt .

10016320673_1d33a76232_z.jpg

10016232315_3d50a98d8e_z.jpg

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Yes I should have made it clearer, the labs were not in the priory itself ! cannot comment on any tunnels as nothing was mentioned at the time.

The actual priory building was used as offices from memory, and although I remember my offsider and myself looking at interesting historical things, I cannot for the life of me remember what they were.

But I do remember the dogs and puppies as they had quite an effect on me being an animal lover.

During my time with BT I was lucky I suppose to have worked in some very interesting places around nottm.

Another that comes to mind was the public records offices in the lace market, and many of the old buildings around that area around High pavement.

In one way we tended to get to see lots of areas in these buildings that were off limits to the general public, as we searched for cables or ran new ones.

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