'The Priory had a very important and lively life within the city until the dissolution of the smaller monasteries by King Henry VIII in 1536, when the monks were pensioned off and their church and cloisters were pulled down.

The remaining buildings and precinct were then sold by the Crown.
The Hurst family were the occupiers between c.1575 and 1602, turning the building into an impressive Elizabethan town house. After that the building became subdivided into houses and businesses.
Between 1820 and 1913 the Priory was owned by the Wilcocks, a family of bankers and merchants. During that time the building was divided into 5 lots of premises and all were given entrance doors and new windows. Traces of these may be seen in some of the walls. Among the occupants were a boot maker and an upholsterer.
Exeter Corporation bought the Priory in 1913 in order to restore it to show its original monastic architecture. It was opened to the public as a small museum three years later. Repairs and reinterpretation were undertaken in 2007 with funding from the HLF and Renaissance.'

If you've had fun on your family day out to St Nicholas Priory, tell us about it your visit, so other people will know it's a great place to go as well.

http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10056