About Us
Norton Priory Museum & Gardens, situated on the edge of Runcorn, is one of Cheshire's hidden gems. Once home to a medieval church, this is the most excavated monastic site in Europe. Visitors can explore the 12th century undercroft with beautiful vaulted ceiling and the priory ruins showing the layout of the medieval buildings. Norton Priory was founded in 1134, and achieved mitred abbey status in 1391. Two key families have links to the site: the Dutton family and the Brooke family. The Duttons supported and engaged with Norton Priory as a monastic site, up until the Dissolution in 1536. The Brooke family made Norton Priory their home between 1545 and 1921, when they left the site to move to a new home in Worcestershire.
The museum displays thousands of objects discovered at the site, which tell the 900-year history from priory to mansion house and the stories of the people who lived here. The most impressive object in the museum is the twice life-size St Christopher statue. It is likely that this statue would have been commissioned to mark the site attaining abbey status in 1391. In more recent history, the statue features in Lucy M. Boston's classic children's book, 'The Children of Green Knowe', first published in 1954.
Today, the museum is surrounded by woodland walks, bringing opportunities to discover secret summer houses, sculptures and a stream glade. During the summer season, the tranquil 2.5 acre Georgian Walled Garden is also open, with orchards, a rose walk and a herb garden. Norton Priory is home to the National Collection of Tree Quince, and the gardens and grounds support a wide variety of flora and fauna. Norton Priory Museum and Gardens is operated by The Norton Priory Museum Trust Limited, an independent charitable trust which seeks to conserve, champion and celebrate the heritage, landscapes and collections of Norton Priory for present and future generations. Norton Priory has a free car park, a gift shop and the Brooke Café, which serves a selection of hot and cold meals and refreshments.
Virtual Visit
The prices show below are available to visitors purchasing tickets on the day. Our best priced tickets are Advance Tickets which are available online up to midnight the day before your planned visit. You can purchase Advance Tickets here.
| Tickets | Gift Aid | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (Winter Season) | £9.35 | £8.50 |
| Child: 4-16 years (Winter Season) | Free (Up to 3 children free with a full-price adult ticket) | Free (Up to 3 children free with a full-price adult ticket) |
| Additional child (Summer Season) | £7.70 | £7.00 |
| Child 0-3yrs (Summer Season) | Free | Free |
| Essential Companion (Summer Season) | Free (with a full-price adult ticket) | Free (with a full-price adult ticket) |
From the M56, leave on Junction 11 following the A56 (Chester Road) then turn left onto the A558 (Daresbury Expressway). Take the second exit at the roundabout (A558) and then take the next exit for Norton Priory, following the brown attraction signage.
From the A562, take the A553 (Mersey Gateway Bridge) to the A558 (Daresbury Expressway). Following the brown attraction signage, take the exit towards Windmill Hill, then the second exit at the Manor Park Roundabout to Tudor Road. Continue along to Tudor Road and through the green gates.
Norton Priory provides free car parking for visitors.
SAT NAV: Tudor Road, WA7 1SX or WA7 1BD
Here at Norton Priory we're bursting at the seams with things to see. Spanning 900 years of history, we're the most excavated monastic site in Europe. Our museum opened in August 2016 following a major HLF funded redevelopment project and displays thousands of objects from Tudor shoes to the incredible medieval statue of St Christopher.
We invite you to explore the 12th century undercroft building and priory ruins then venture further into the surrounding woodland to discover secret summer houses and stream glades.
The beautiful 2.5 acre Georgian walled garden is our best kept secret with fruit trees, a herb garden and stunning rose walk to enjoy. Home to the National Collection of Quince, it is surrounded by a pear orchard, wildflower meadow and woodland.
The museum has a visitor car park, café, toilets, including an accessible toilet, baby changing facilities, a lift, and wheelchairs available to borrow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Norton Priory Museum & Gardens welcomes well-behaved dogs on leads in all areas except inside the museum's Brooke Café. Outdoor seating for the café is available for visitors with dogs.
We receive no government funding which is why your admission fee is vital in helping us to maintain our fantastic programmes and preserving our unique heritage. This includes caring for our wonderful objects, sharing our history, running our community programmes and ensuring that Norton Priory Museum & Gardens can be enjoyed today and in the future.
If you are a UK taxpayer, you can choose to Gift Aid your admission which includes a voluntary contribution of 10%*. This means that we can reclaim 25% of the full ticket price back from the Government - helping your money go even further. For example, a Gift Aided adult ticket costing £11.00 means that we will actually receive £13.75.
*You can only donate Gift Aid if you pay income or capital gains tax in the UK. Your donations will qualify as long as they’re not more than 4 times what you have paid in tax in that tax year (6 April to 5 April).
Discounted entry is available for advance group bookings of over 12 people. Please contact us for group rates and tour options.
For great offers and year-round access, consider taking out a membership. We have three packages, a single adult membership, a joint adult membership (2 adults) and a family membership (2 adults + 3 children).
We have three car parks: the main visitor centre car park, an overflow carpark which is often used on event days and a smaller car park at the Walled Garden (seasonal opening only). All Norton Priory car parks remain free of charge for museum visitors, but please be considerate when parking your vehicle. The disabled parking spaces must only be used by blue badge holders.
The visitor centre and exhibition galleries are all accessible, with a lift available for access to the first-floor gallery. There are no steps on the main entrances and exits to the visitor centre. The Undercroft has ramps available to help maximise access, but as an original medieval structure, some areas are not fully accessible. Likewise, the archaeological remains or ruins of the monastic complex are not fully accessible, due to limitations of the historic nature of this part of the site.
All paths behind the visitor centre have been resurfaced, with the majority being flat or with gentle inclines. There are two stepped parts along the stream glade path: our team will be only too happy to identify these on your arrival upon request.
The path leading to the Walled Garden, which is closed in the winter season, has also been resurfaced, with most of the paths in the Walled Garden being gravelled.
There is blue badge parking outside the main entrance to the museum and at the Walled Garden. We also offer free entry for carers.
The museum has a fully accessible toilet. For visitors who require seating, we have a range of seats at different points within the grounds and within the Walled Garden. There is also seating available in the visitor centre atrium.
Our team is always ready to extend a warm welcome to all our visitors, so if you have any questions about your visit, please do not hesitate to contact us.
There is a charge for accessing Norton Priory. As a charity, every penny we receive goes towards caring for our grounds, collection and museum to make it a beautiful and welcoming haven for all our visitors. Only ticket holders are permitted entrance to the visitor centre, museum galleries, woodland and Walled Garden.
Access to the café and the museum shop does not require an entry ticket.
Our membership prices are great value if you’d like to visit again and again.
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Registered in England | Company Number: 01232182 | Registered Charity Number: 504870