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Norton Priory

Norton Priory
Low stone walls form squares and other shapes and are surrounded by grassed areas. In the background to the left is the rear of the undercroft, and trees are in the background.
Foundations of the monastic buildings and the back of the museum
Monastery information
Order Augustinian
Established 1115
Disestablished 1536
Dedicated to Saint Bertelin, Saint Mary
Diocese Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield
Controlled churches Runcorn, Great Budworth,
St Michael, Chester, Castle Donington, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Kneesall, Burton upon Stather, Pirton (now Pyrton)
People
Founder(s) William fitz Nigel,
2nd Baron of Halton
Site
Location Norton, Runcorn,
Cheshire, England
Coordinates Coordinates: 53°20′32″N 2°40′48″W / 53.3423°N 2.6799°W / 53.3423; -2.6799
Grid reference SJ548830
Visible remains Yes
Public access Yes

Norton Priory is a historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, England, comprising the remains of an abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house; it is now a museum. The remains are a scheduled ancient monument and are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. They are considered to be the most important monastic remains in Cheshire.

The priory was established as an Augustinian foundation in the 12th century, and was raised to the status of an abbey in 1391. The abbey was closed in 1536, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries. Nine years later the surviving structures, together with the manor of Norton, were purchased by Sir Richard Brooke, who built a Tudor house on the site, incorporating part of the abbey. This was replaced in the 18th century by a Georgian house. The Brooke family left the house in 1921, and it was partially demolished in 1928. In 1966 the site was given in trust for the use of the general public.

Excavation of the site began in 1971, and became the largest to be carried out by modern methods on any European monastic site. It revealed the foundations and lower parts of the walls of the monastery buildings and the abbey church. Important finds included: a Norman doorway; a finely carved arcade; a floor of mosaic tiles, the largest floor area of this type to be found in any modern excavation; the remains of the kiln where the tiles were fired; a bell casting pit used for casting the bell; and a large medieval statue of Saint Christopher.


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Wikipedia

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