Princethorpe College Heritage Open Day Tour

As part of the Heritage Open Days 2025 festival, come and discover the fascinating history and stunning architecture of St Mary's Priory.

From 1835 until 1965, St Mary's Priory was home to a congregation of Benedictine nuns who had fled the French Revolution in 1792 to find safety in England.

The priory also housed a boarding school for girls. The community sold the priory in 1965 and a new school for boys was established by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who had previously run a boys' school in Leamington Spa.

Princethorpe College is now a fully co-educational Catholic independent day school.

Princethorpe archive team will be conducting free tours of the College on Sunday 21st September starting at 1.30pm. The tour will last approximately 1 hour.

Please note that numbers are limited and places must be booked in advance. Message LFSG for your free ticket.

Areas open will include Pugin's magnificent chapel, the cloisters, nuns' cells, library (former church) and our unique roundhouse.

Parts of the building, such as the old church, are only accessible by stairs. Please also note that the floor may be uneven in some parts of the tour. Please advise the tour guide if you have any accessibility requirements and they will do their best to assist you.

Free parking.

Meet outside at Princethorpe College entrance at 1pm.

Walk to start of tour ready to commence at 1.30pm.

Tour the historic building of Princethorpe

Complete the tour and take complimentary refreshments provided for the heritage open day.

Leave approximately at 4pm.