Come and discover a story which spans 900 years and uncover the site’s transition from St Augustinian priory, to mitred abbey and onto the family home of the Baronets of Norton. Today, Norton Priory Museum and Gardens is recognised as Europe’s most excavated monastic site and is an accredited museum surrounded by 42 acres of woodland and the stunning 2.5 acre Georgian Walled Garden.
Uncover the site’s fascinating history in the two museum exhibition galleries, where you will find such treasures as a Gainsborough painting, a magnificent seventeenth century Flemish Collector’s cabinet and a recreation of the stunning cloister which was once a central feature of this remarkable space. In the visitor centre’s atrium, meet the gigantic medieval sculpture of St. Christopher, a late fourteenth century statue of international significance and showing the skill of the craftsman who created it. The same statue inspired author Lucy M. Boston, leading to the statue being prominently featured as a benign force in her ‘Green Knowe’ series of children’s books.
Step back in time as you enter the Victorian porch which leads through to what is considered the finest Norman arch in Cheshire, before entering the hush of the medieval undercroft. Once used as store rooms for the monastic complex, and the later Georgian mansion, the largest of the spaces became the grand entrance to the Georgian mansion in 1868. As the last remaining element of the priory still standing, this area includes a passageway which would have once formed an entrance for visitors into the priory.
Outside the excavated remains of the priory reveal themselves, tracing out the outline of the key structures that made up this site. Further beyond lies the woodland, within which a series of paths will lead you to the stream glade, children’s play area, a summer house and onto the banking of the Bridgewater Canal. During the summer season, the 2.5 acre Georgian Walled Garden reveals its hidden secrets to visitors through a series of ‘garden rooms’: a cottage garden, an orchard, a croquet lawn, a vegetable garden, a children’s garden and onto the magnificent Rose Walk.
Visit on a Sunday and experience ‘Discover Sundays’, a programme of additional activities for no additional cost. Norton Priory Museum and Gardens has a packed event schedule, offering something for everyone, from outdoor theatre, to music concerts and from meditation sessions to traditional skills workshops… and much more!
Norton Priory is family-friendly, with lots to entertain younger visitors, including dressing up, play houses in the Walled Garden, and a giant bell to ring in the woodland! They’re also dog-friendly, with dogs welcome in both museum galleries and the Walled Garden. The only place dogs aren’t allowed is inside the café, but there is alternative seating outside and in the atrium, so there’s no reason not to bring your four-legged friend along with you! There is free car parking on site as well, so there is no need to ‘clock-watch’ on a visit to Norton Priory; in fact they positively encourage you to take you time, wind down and relax as you uncover the stories and explore the spaces.
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