Norton Priory

Prologue

The spectacular twelfth century ruins of Norton Priory are complemented by the beautiful 1ha Georgian (18th century) walled garden. The medieval monastic herb garden captures an essence of the site’s past use. The monastery became disused and derelict during the reformation, and it was the purchase of the grounds in 1545 by the Brooke family, who gave the grounds a new lease of life.

The walled garden is probably the feature for which Norton is so famous. It was built near to the Tudor mansion constructed by the Brooke family in around 1770, and its supply of fresh fruit and vegetables helped ensure the estate’s self-subsistence. The garden was restored in the 1980s and it is arguably now one of Cheshire’s best kept secrets.