Events

Join Mima Cornish from HedgeRose Healing for meditation in the beautiful surroundings of Norton Priory Museum and Gardens in Runcorn on select Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The sessions vary each week and take the opportunity to access the many different places and atmospheres at Norton Priory, both inside and out, to truly enjoy the present moment. All meditations will be guided, and any mindful activities will be gentle and relaxing, promoting a natural sense of peace. Suitable for all levels from beginners to experienced. Please bring a blanket.

Dates for spring/summer 2025 are:

16th March

30th March

27th April

11th May

24th May

8th June

22nd June

5th July

20th July 

After an expert-led talk by Tony Parker about bats and identifying bats using bat detectors, we will head out into the woods to see what bats we pick up! The route will take us up to the Bridgewater Canal, which is an excellent site for watch for bats hunting for insects over the water.

This bat walk will be part of the City Nature Challenge weekend, when cities around the world collaborate to share observations of nature. Recording wildlife helps us learn about local and global biodiversity, and can be vital for understanding our changing environment.

Pre-booking for this event is essential! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before the event or when tickets sell out, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Access requirements

Please note that this will involve a walk in Norton Priory's woodlands and near the canal after dark, so please dress appropriately and bring a torch. There will be some uneven ground. Although there is no age limit for this event, we recommend parents’ discretion regarding very young children.

Discover Norton Priory's wildlife out-of-hours with a walk to enjoy the dawn chorus and a chance to meet some nocturnal visitors.

Join us for an expert-led walk to appreciate the dawn chorus with Tony Parker, followed by the opening of humane moth and small mammal traps that will have been set the night before. Any critters we find will be recorded and released safely. Hopefully, we'll have the chance to observe wildlife that visitors wouldn't normally see!

This will be part of the City Nature Challenge weekend, when cities around the world collaborate to share observations of nature. Recording wildlife helps us learn about local and global biodiversity, and can be vital for understanding our changing environment.

Pre-booking for this event is essential! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before the event, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Access requirements

Please note that this will involve a walk in Norton Priory's woodlands in the early morning, so please dress appropriately. There will be some uneven ground. Although there is no age limit for this event, we recommend parents’ discretion regarding very young children.

To celebrate National ‘Drive It’ Day John Woods Motor Club returns to Norton Priory Museum and Gardens on Sunday 27th April bringing their fascinating and historic display of vintage and classic cars.  

Visitors can enjoy seeing the cars in the beautiful surroundings of the museum and grounds.  The cars will be on site from 12pm until the close of day and visitors are welcome to talk to the owners and take photographs.

The display is free to visitors with general admission.  Up to three children aged 4 to 16 years are permitted free of charge with any paying adult. 

Orchard Blossom Day is the annual celebration of fruit trees, orchards, blossom, and food. Celebrated at the end of April/start of May (when orchards look their best), it is a chance to celebrate orchards and the coming harvest.

Did you know? Norton Priory is home to the National Collection of tree quince, as well as dozens of varieties of apple, plus pears, plums, damsons, medlars, and many other varieties of fruit. We've also recently planted the new Oldfield Orchard, filled with local heritage varieties of apple from Cheshire and Lancashire. We have plenty to celebrate about Norton Priory's beautiful orchards!

Join us on Sunday 4th May for family-friendly crafts, tours of Norton Priory's orchards, themed trails, and a blossom-spotters guide!

Included with general admission (part of Discover Norton): crafts such as blossom head band making from 12-3pm, themed trails and our blossom-spotters guide! Book general admission here.

Bookable sessions: tours of Norton Priory's orchards with our Ranger, Paul Quigley, and orchard expert Katie Tonge at 12pm or 2pm. Adults £5, children £3.

Access requirements: The orchard tours involve walking in areas with uneven ground.

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with general admission (apart from pre-booked orchard tours). Book online ahead of time for a discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

A day to celebrate both Norton Priory's honeybees and wild pollinators!

We love bees at Norton Priory! As well as keeping honeybees, we try to provide a habitat for a range of wild pollinators, including bumblebees and solitary bees.

Learn about the different bees at Norton Priory with activities in the museum and at the Walled Garden.

Included with general admission (part of Discover Norton) 

• Family activities including including seed planting and bee-themed trails

• Insect ID and wildlife recording with RECORD - Local Environmental Records Centre

• Bumblebee talk with naturalist Tony Parker at 11am

Book general admission here.

Bookable sessions

Beekeeping at Norton Priory, honey tasting and a "walk and talk" session to learn about honeybees at Norton Priory with our ranger and beekeeper, Paul Quigley. Adults £5, children £3.

• 12pm - Family Beekeeping at Norton Priory session for all ages!

• 3pm - Adults Beekeeping at Norton Priory session for ages 17+ - a chance to ask more in-depth questions about apiculture!

Access requirements

The beekeeping "walk and talk" sessions involve walking in areas with uneven ground.

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with general admission (apart from pre-booked sessions with our beekeeper). Book online ahead of time for a discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

We are looking for stalls with a bee, beekeeping and honey theme! Norton Priory is always interested in hearing from unique local businesses and artists who want to be involved for our events. If you are interested in being a stallholder at Norton Priory for this event, or any of our fairs, please contact bookings@nortonpriory.org

Seek out new and unusual plants to make your garden stand out in 2025! With a range of specialist nurseries providing a myriad of beautiful plants, this event is one of the most popular in Norton Priory's annual calendar.

It's £1.00 per person to visit the Plant Hunters' Fair! Or to visit both the fair and the museum purchase the special 'Early Bird Ticket' priced at just £8.50 for each adult visitor (up to three 0-16 year olds are admitted with each 'Early Bird' adult). This Early Bird ticket includes access to the stunning 2.5 acre Georgian Walled Garden, the main museum building and medieval undercroft, and acres of woodland walks.

With free car parking and Norton Priory's onsite Brooke Cafe, it makes for the perfect day out.

The following specialist nurseries will be attending on the day (more to be added):

• A Love Blossoms Garden accessories, stakes, planters, garden wall decorations and more
• ChickenStreet Grasses and herbaceous perennials for naturalistic plantings
• Dibleys The Houseplant Specialists: over 150 RHS Gold medals including 33 Chelsea Golds NEW
• Eastoft Echeveria Tender Echeveria, Graptopetalum, Pachyphytum, Sedums & Interspecific hybrids Hardy Sedum, Delosperma and various alpine plants NEW
• Freddie's Flowers Fresh Flowers Delivered As A One-Off Gift Or Regular Subscription NEW
• Hoyland Plant Centre Agapanthus, Amarines, Nerines, Tulbaghia, Dierama , Arisaema and Scadoxus. National Collection Holders,RHS Medalists NEW
• Kilned Earth Premium quality Cretan terracotta pots containing herbs and rare plants NEW
• Mayfields Plants Wide range of bee and butterfly-friendly cottage garden perennials.
• Meadowmakers Wildflower and native tree plants and plugs
• Penmere Plants Hardy, half-hardy and species Fuchsia.
• Pottertons Nursery Alpines, Dwarf Bulbs and Woodland Plants RHS Gold Medalists
• Primrose Bank Wide range of perennial plants RHS Gold Medalists
• Priorswood Clematis Clematis. RHS Medalists NEW
• Stonyford Cottage Nursery Moist and shade loving plants, some Exotics and Alpines including Sempervivums.
• The Gobbett Nursery Shrubs, perennials inc Iris, Cornus, Syringa in season RHS Medalists

This is a Discover Norton event and has discount Early Bird rates available for combined General Admission and Plant Hunters' tickets, and children go free on General Admission to the museum!* Book online ahead of time for the Early Bird discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for admission on arrival!

*Up to 3 children free per full priced adult ticket, additional children will be charged.

Join us for an outside performance with a difference on the remains of medieval Norton Priory and learn the answers to some of the big questions in life. Who is the God of dog poo bags? How did the microwave get its ping? What ancient crime was Marmite the punishment for… And why was it inflicted upon us?

Senior academics of history, and rather silly men, Professor Doctor Lee Hithersay and Doctor Professor Robert Rhys Bond, forge three new myths from the unhinged minds of their audience - and a boatload of cardboard props!

Will it be Greek? Viking? Ancient Babylonian? They haven’t a clue! That’s all up to you. Help shape the stories and even become the hero yourself (if you want, no pressure) in this EPIC interactive experience!

The renowned Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Silly History Boys present a hilarious hour of high-octane adventure for children and childish adults. Featuring clowning, storytelling, physical comedy, live music and more. 

You’d be mad to myth it! 

The Story Forge is part of Norton Priory's Summer of Stories programming for 2025.

The Wheel of the Year turns once more and we find ourselves at Summer Solstice. Come and join us as we give gratitude to the Sun for all that they give us on this, the longest day. With meditation and reflective moments with Mima Cornish of HedgeRose Healing, and immersive circle dancing from Myrriadd Dance, we will share this wonderful evening of celebration together. All folks booked are asked to send positive thoughts to the weather so we can be outdoors and enjoy the glorious environment of Norton Priory.

This family friendly show from acclaimed musicians Chris Green and Sophie Matthews takes in 600 years of musical history in 90 minutes! Beginning in the Middle Ages and ending up in the 20th century (and incorporating everything in between!) prepare to be taken on a whistle-stop tour of Western musical history.

Featuring long forgotten songs and tunes (not to mention jokes!) Chris and Sophie paint a vibrant and vivid picture of our musical DNA, mixing the vigour of the medieval period, the musical intricacy of the Renaissance, the grandeur of the Baroque and the pomp and bombast of Victoriana. The stage is set for a veritable musical feast in the historic setting of Norton Priory!

Complete with a bewildering array of instruments such as cittern, rauschpfeife and virginal (and that’s just the first 100 years!) ‘A Brief History of Music‘ uses tunes, songs and humour to take you on a musical journey from which you won’t want to return.

Suitable for ages 8+, please note under 5s will not be permitted. 

The show contains an interval of 15 to 20 minutes and ends approx.9.30pm

Norton Priory Museum and Gardens welcomes Illyria's sparkling production of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' as part of the 'Summer of Stories' programme.  This outdoor theatre production will be performed on the medieval remains of Norton Priory's cloister.

With her tongue firmly in her cheek, Jane Austen tells us “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Mrs Bennet certainly thinks so. So when Mr Bingley – single, young, handsome, and with £5,000 a year – moves into nearby Netherfield Park, she devotes all her energy to contriving for Jane, the eldest of her five daughters, to meet him during rural Hertfordshire’s whirlwind of social balls.

But even Mrs Bennet draws the line at Mr Bingley’s disdainful friend Mr Darcy despite his whopping £10,000 a year. Thank heavens Lizzy, her second daughter, finds him detestable too! Or does she…? Can she see beyond his pride – and could he overcome her prejudice – to consider a possible future together?

Following seven sell-out seasons of this sparkling adaptation, award-winning Illyria prepares to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in style. Bring a picnic and enjoy her at her vibrant, forthright, bitchy best! Running time: 140-minutes (approximately), including a 20-minute interval. Suitable for all ages.

Please note that the performance starts at 7:00pm. Gates open at 6:30pm.

Following several years of sold-out outdoor Shakespeare at Norton Priory, this hard-hitting 'Romeo and Juliet' adaptation from multi-award winning A Place For Us Theatre delivers a story which resonates across the ages. Set in the stunning Woodland Theatre space, passion, violence and urgency explode in a bold, high energy production. With dynamic, visceral performances, heart-stopping drama and immersive staging this 70 minute adaptation creates an unforgettable theatrical experience under the open sky.

Friday 27th June 5:30pm

Saturday 28th June 5:30pm

Running time approx 70 minutes.  No interval, but bring a picnic!

Suitable for ages 9 and upwards

"…The torment is real, the hideous crimes authentic, the anguish and grief tangible – each scene, each actor, each movement, played with passion and credence. It was superb…" (***** Northwest End Review – Macbeth 2024) 

Experience Shakespeare's dark tragedy like never before as raw ambition, betrayal and supernatural dread ignite the stage. After a sell-out run in 2024, this five-star abridged and accessible version of Shakespeare's chilling play returns to the atmospheric woodland theatre at Norton Priory this June presented by multi-award winning A Place for Us Theatre for limited performances only. 

Something wicked this way comes...

Friday 27th June 7:30pm

Saturday 28th June 7:30pm

Running time approx. 70 minutes - No interval but bring a picnic!

Suitable for ages 9 upwards.

"...the torment is real, the hideous crimes authentic, the anguish and grief tangible - each scene, each actor, each movement played with passion and credence. It was superb..." (***** Northwest End Review)

Pack your picnics and join Ratty, Mole, Badger, and the fantastically irrepressible Toad as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, culminating in a colourful battle to save Toad Hall from the mischievous weasels!

Multi-award nominated Immersion Theatre proudly bring their trademark style and energy to Norton Priory, where the riverbank is brought to life on the excavated remains of the priory. Expect heaps of interaction, stunning costumes, toe-tapping music, and larger-than-life characters as part of Norton Priory's Summer of Stories programme.

A TOAD-ally terrific treat whether you’re 4 or 104!

After an expert-led talk by Tony Parker about bats and identifying bats using bat detectors, we will head out into the woods to see what bats we pick up! The route will take us up to the Bridgewater Canal, which is an excellent site for watch for bats hunting for insects over the water.

Throughout the summer holidays there will be bat walks on Tuesdays, timed to try to catch bats as they head out to hunt.

• 29th July at 8.15pm

• 5th August at 8pm

• 12th August at 7.30pm

• 19th August at 7.30pm

• 26th August at 7.15pm

Pre-booking for this event is essential! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before the event or when tickets sell out, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Access requirements

Please note that this will involve a walk in Norton Priory's woodlands and near the canal after dark, so please dress appropriately and bring a torch. There will be some uneven ground. Although there is no age limit for this event, we recommend parents’ discretion regarding very young children.

An autism-friendly afternoon at Norton Priory.

Because we appreciate that busy and noisy environments can be challenging for some people, we are holding an autism-friendly afternoon during the summer holidays. 

Based on guidance by the National Autistic Society and feedback from the Relaxed Mars evening, the following measures to support autistic and neurodiverse visitors will be in place:

• There will be quiet background music in the museum atrium.
• A written guide has been produced to help visitors know what to expect, available below.
• Staff working on the day will be briefed on the event.
• Hand dryers in the toilets will be switched off.
• A retreat space will be available for anyone who needs to take a break and sit down.
• Visitor numbers will be monitored and limited if need be - but with the outside spaces open the site can be calm and tranquil, even with a lot of visitors!
• Where possible, windows will be opened in the museum to provide ventilation.
• Many of our visitors love our trails for children! There will be trails available on the day.
• The choice of date and time is based on feedback from Relaxed Mars, typical footfall, and peak periods to try and ensure a calm environment.

On the day, the museum will be open from 10am-5pm and the Walled Garden from 12-4pm, and we will ensure that the above measures are in place by 3pm. We encourage anyone visiting for the autism afternoon to visit the Walled Garden before its closing time! Maps of the site will be available from the museum reception.

The guide to the afternoon will be posted online here in advance of the event.

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with General Admission, plus children go free!* Book online ahead of time for a discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

*Up to 3 children free per full priced adult ticket, additional children will be charged.

#AutismHour

Historia Normannis present a siege special at Norton Priory Museum & Gardens. See an exciting battle on the event field where medieval knights and soldiers attack the palisades with siege engines and 12th century weaponry.

In between acts, explore our dynamic living history encampment to see the clothes, food, crafts and skills of every day medieval life. Discover Norton Priory's medieval history through our permanent museum gallery displays and historic ruins.

There will also be family friendly crafts in the classroom, trails around the museum and gardens, and why not take your photo trying on some of our medieval fashions!

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with General Admission, plus children go free!* Book online ahead of time for a discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

*Up to 3 children free per full priced adult ticket, additional children will be charged.

Introducing 'The Tempest', Shakespeare’s most magical play bursting with mayhem, comedy, romance and surprises!

Having developed a reputation for producing first-rate, critically-acclaimed, and highly accessible adaptations of Shakespeare’s work, Immersion Theatre – the multi-award nominated company behind last year’s smash hit 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream', proudly presents 'The Tempest"='; Shakespeare’s unforgettable tale of magic, romance, comedy, and revenge!

With heaps of audience participation, this mesmerising show will be brought to life in unforgettable style, perfect for both, seasoned theatre-goers and newcomers to Shakespeare’s work.

Not to be missed! Suitable for ages 8+

Pre-booking for this event is essential! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before the event, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Quince and Apple Weekend is back at Norton Priory, offering a delightful experience for the entire family. This annual event showcases the best produce from the walled garden, where you can purchase fresh apples, quince and other produce grown at Norton Priory. Dive into creative craft activities and explore a marketplace filled with unique offerings from local businesses! Whether you're looking to pick up some fresh produce or enjoy a fun-filled day of entertainment, Quince and Apple Weekend promises something for everyone.

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with General Admission, plus children go free!* Book online ahead of time for a discount! Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

*Up to 3 children free per full priced adult ticket, additional children will be charged.

Norton Priory is always looking for unique local businesses and artists for our events. If you are interested in being a stallholder at Norton Priory for this event, or any of our fairs, please contact bookings@nortonpriory.org

Step into the festive spirit and kick off your Christmas shopping with a wonderful selection of food, crafts, and gifts from local businesses. The museum will be filled with a variety of stalls, offering everything you need to find the perfect presents for loved ones. From handcrafted treasures to delicious treats, you’re bound to find a stocking filler or two! Enjoy musical entertainment and festive food and drink while you browse and soak up the seasonal atmosphere.

As well as entry to the fair, admission tickets include access to the museum, ruins and woodlands. After picking up some wonderful Christmas gifts, why not enjoy a lovely winter walk in Norton Priory's woodlands?

This is a Discover Norton event and is included with General Admission at a reduced price of £5 for adults and £4 for children.  Pre-booking closes at 11:45 the night before your visit. But if you miss out, you can pay for General Admission on arrival!

Norton Priory is always looking for unique local businesses and artists for our events. If you are interested in being a stallholder at Norton Priory for this event, or any of our fairs, please contact bookings@nortonpriory.org