Chicksands consists almost entirely of the wooded Chicksands Priory estate. It was an American military base until 1995 then reopened as the British Defence Intelligence & Security Centre in 1997. The Friends of Chicksands Priory, a group of volunteers, arrange public tours of the Priory and walled gardens. A museum is planned. There are proposals to further integrate the base into the local community.
Central Bedfordshire Council Offices are also on the site.
The Priory was founded by Rohese Beauchamp in 1154 for the rare Gilbertine monastic order, the only one created in and confined to Britain. The order, for both monks and nuns, housed 120 nuns and 55 monks.
On the Dissolution It passed to Thomas Wyndham, later going to the Osborne family where it remained for many centuries. In 1813 Sir George Osborne rebuilt the Priory with much Gothic detail provided by architect James Wyatt. The grounds contain an 1815 obelisk erected after the Napoleonic Wars.
This section of the priory roof was constructed in 1469.
Priory visits are on the first and third Sunday of each month, except Easter when the tour takes place on Monday April 16th. The tour lasts 1 hour and costs £5 - to book phone Julie Benson on 01525 860497.