£106k tourism boost for medieval marvel and gardens in Runcorn ahead of reopening
Norton Priory's chief executive said the Culture Recovery Fund grant was "hugely welcomed and much appreciated".
Norton Priory museum in Runcorn.
Runcorn’s award-winning Norton Priory Museum and Gardens has received a £106,026 grant to support it to bounce back when restrictions ease.
The medieval ruins tourist attraction has had to shut for much of the past year - either indoors or in full - due to the pandemic but is now relishing the prospect of welcoming visitors to its outdoor grounds from Friday, April 16, and to the indoor areas from Friday, May 21, if the Government’s lockdown roadmap progresses to plan.
Grounds and gardens will be open initially from Friday to Sunday with entry by advance ticket for £5, bookable on the Norton Priory website.
Usual ticket prices will resume when the indoor areas also reopen.
The site was among around 2,700 recipients to be awarded a share of the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund in the latest round of grant and loan funding announced by Arts Council England (ACE) and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden on Friday, April 2.
Norton Priory is Europe’s largest excavated monastic site and includes the remains of the medieval priory, museum and a 2.5-acre Georgian Walled Garden.
The museum is surrounded by 42 acres of grounds including woodland and orchards, and tells a story of 900 years of history.
Along with the medieval undercroft, the museum is also home to a towering 14th century statue of St Christopher.
Rob Sanderson-Thomas, Norton Priory chief executive, said: “The news that Norton Priory will be supported by funding from the Culture Recovery Fund Round Two, as we prepare to reopen the site, is hugely welcomed and much appreciated.
“On behalf of our trustees, staff, volunteers and, of course, our visitors, I’m very grateful to both the Government and Arts Council England for this investment in our incredible site at a time when the cultural sector is looking ahead to what we hope will be a summer of increased normality.”
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Sir Richard Brooke, 12th Baronet of Norton, Norton Priory Trustee and whose family has historic ties to the site, said: “I’m delighted to learn that Norton Priory Museum and Gardens is being supported by a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund Round 2, made possible by DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and ACE.
“This will be hugely instrumental in helping the priory and its magical grounds be best placed for recovery as the visitor economy begins to open up again.
“As a newly appointed trustee, and with a long family involvement at Norton, the re-opening of the site supported by the recovery fund grant could not have come at a better time”
The funding comprises awards from Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
Norton Priory lies on the outskirts of Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire.
