Thurgarton: Discover Church and Way History

Thurgarton is a destination for travellers who want to combine historical traces with a clearly described walk. Church art, the history of the Augustinian priory and archaeological discoveries on Castle Hill give the village a distinctive character. Added to this is the Walter Hilton Way, a five-mile, one-day route to Southwell Minster. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or other accommodation when planning your trip, you can weigh up a cultural and historical stay against a day on the route.

Church, Priory and Archaeological Traces

An important point of reference is the Church of St Peter in Thurgarton. It is listed as a Grade I building of special architectural or historic interest and preserves three fifteenth-century choir stalls with carved misericords. For those interested in culture, this provides a specific detail of medieval and later church history that can be incorporated into an exploration of Thurgarton.

The Augustinian Priory of St Peter is also part of the historical picture. It was founded around 1119–1139 and dissolved in 1538. The substructure of the medieval west cloister survives as the cellar of the adjoining house. This surviving architectural trace makes the former monastic complex tangible even where the complete cloister can no longer be seen today.

Excavations on Castle Hill uncovered two small timber-built churches in the 1950s. There is also a medieval burial cemetery there, discovered during excavations from 1951 to 1955. Anyone interested in the earlier development of the village will find several different archaeological clues here at a named historic site.

The Walter Hilton Way as a Day Experience

The Walter Hilton Way runs from Thurgarton Priory to Southwell Minster and is described as a five-mile, one-day route. In the centre of Thurgarton, it follows Priory Road to the churchyard of the Priory Church of St Peter. After leaving the churchyard, the route reaches a public bridleway after a sharp right-hand bend.

Along the way, the Walter Hilton Way crosses a small bridge over a “dumble”. This is the local term for a deeply incised stream. This detail gives the route its own connection to the landscape, without requiring you to limit the walk to church or monastic history. The length and its classification as a one-day route are also useful details for planning your day.

Which Accommodation Location Suits Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Thurgarton, it is worth deciding on the focus of your trip first. Would you like to centre your visit on historic sites, church art and archaeological traces, or are you planning a day on the Walter Hilton Way? Your journey to the area also deserves attention: train connections via the Nottingham–Newark route are variable. An additional half-mile walk along Station Road needs to be planned to reach the centre of Thurgarton from the station. Take this distance into account when choosing your accommodation and organising your day.

Discover More Places

If you would like to visit other places besides Thurgarton, you can find Carlton, Tuxford, Dunham, Ordsall, Underwood, South Clifton, East Retford and Chilwell here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Nottinghamshire.