Old Catton
Encyclopedia
Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk
which lies 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north-east of central Norwich
. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport
at Hellesdon
to the west and Sprowston
to the east. The northern boundary is with the village of Spixworth
while the A1042 road forms the southern boundary.
It covers an area of 2.33 km² (0.899618029520607 sq mi) and had a population of 5,954 in 2,512 households as of the 2001 census
.
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
of Broadland
. The village is twinned with the French commune of Lavaré
.
of 1086. Until recent times Catton was an agricultural village but following the late 18th and 19th century development of the Catton Park estate
several wealthy Norwich families including the Gurneys
, Jewson
s, Buxtons, Lindleys, Norman and the Tilletts built their houses here.
, Buttercup Meadow, the War Memorial deer park and the historical core of the village: Church Street, Spixworth Road and George Hill. Contained within this area are several listed buildings, significant non– listed buildings, protected trees and parkland.
which is twinned with Old Catton.
The Church of St Margaret, is a round tower
flint
design with extensions. The tower is built of flint with an octagonal
top of brick and flint which was fashionable in the 15th century. The majority of the alterations to the building took place in the 15th and 19th centuries. Memorials inside the church include Richard Westmacott
's 1820 memorial to the Mayor of Norwich; Jeremiah Ives. Also of note are several wall tablets of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is one of 124 existing round tower churches in Norfolk
.
Catton Hall, the hall was built c1780 for the High Steward of Norwich – Charles Buckle. In 1788 the hall and estate passed into the hands of Jeremiah Ives (1754–1820) –twice Mayor of Norwich. Today, it is privately owned and divided into separate apartments.
Catton Park, set around (the new) Catton Hall was laid out by Humphry Repton
in 1788 and was his first paid commission though not a subject of one of his famous "Red Books". The park (and the adjoining War memorial deer park and Buttercup Meadow) are designated Grade II* on the English Heritage
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
. Some 28 hectares (69.2 acre) of parkland remain, and this area is undergoing restoration to open it to community use. Most of the park to the north has been used for a modern housing development, though within it the former laundry and some of the perimeter wall of the Hall remains.
The Ornamental Pond, the small gated garden at Parkside Drive contains remnants of Repton's original garden including a listed clamshell
fountain set in a small oval pond. The garden is in the care of the Old Catton Society
Catton Old Hall, is located outside of the conservation area at Lodge Lane. The house was built in 1632 as a 'gentlemen's house' by William Bussey. Today, the property is used as a hotel.
The Orangery, the 18th century Grade II listed building has seen a variety of uses. Originally the orangery
to the adjacent Catton Hall, a museum for the Buxton family, and later as a voluntary aid hospital during the Great War. Today, the building serves as the village hall. The gates leading to the building were commissioned by Samuel Gurney Buxton of Catton Hall and made by the village blacksmith, William Badcock.
Anna Sewell House, Anna Sewell
and her parents moved into the house at Spixworth Road in September, 1867. She began writing the children's classic
Black Beauty here in 1871 and completed her book in 1877. Sewell died in the house in 1878.
The village is served by the No 10, 16, 18 FirstGroup services
Norwich railway station
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
which lies 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north-east of central Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
at Hellesdon
Hellesdon
Hellesdon is a thriving suburb of Norwich in the District of Broadland in Norfolk, England. It lies approximately 4 miles north-west of Norwich and has 11,177 inhabitants.- History :...
to the west and Sprowston
Sprowston
Sprowston is a small town bordering Norwich in Norfolk, England. It is bounded by Heartsease to the east, Mousehold Heath and the suburb of New Sprowston to the south , Old Catton to the west, and by the open farmland of Beeston St Andrew to the north.It was the largest parish in Norfolk and the...
to the east. The northern boundary is with the village of Spixworth
Spixworth
Spixworth is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village lies close to the B1150 road and is north of Norwich and some south of North Walsham.It covers an area of and had a population of 3,769 in 1,508 households as of the 2001 census....
while the A1042 road forms the southern boundary.
It covers an area of 2.33 km² (0.899618029520607 sq mi) and had a population of 5,954 in 2,512 households as of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Broadland
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
. The village is twinned with the French commune of Lavaré
Lavaré
Lavaré is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France. The commune is twinned with the village of Old Catton, Norfolk, England.-References:*...
.
Historical development
The name of Catton most likely means farmstead (or Tun) of a man called Catta, a local tribal leader. Another possible explanation was the presence of wild cats in the area - now depicted on the village sign. The settlement was recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. Until recent times Catton was an agricultural village but following the late 18th and 19th century development of the Catton Park estate
Catton Park, Old Catton, Norwich
Catton Park is a Grade 2 listed public park located in the village of Old Catton some 2 miles north of central Norwich. The park covers and was landscape gardener Humphry Repton's first commission...
several wealthy Norwich families including the Gurneys
Gurney's bank
Gurney's bank was a well-respected family-run bank headquartered in Norwich, England. It merged into Barclays Bank in 1896.-History:The bank was founded in 1770 by John and Henry Gurney, sons of John Gurney , who passed the business to Henry's son, Bartlett Gurney, in 1777...
, Jewson
Jewson
Jewson is one of the largest chain of British general builders' merchants, selling to small building contractors and the general public with over 500 branches across the country....
s, Buxtons, Lindleys, Norman and the Tilletts built their houses here.
Old Catton conservation area
The conservation area was designated in 1986 and encompasses three important open spaces: Catton ParkCatton Park, Old Catton, Norwich
Catton Park is a Grade 2 listed public park located in the village of Old Catton some 2 miles north of central Norwich. The park covers and was landscape gardener Humphry Repton's first commission...
, Buttercup Meadow, the War Memorial deer park and the historical core of the village: Church Street, Spixworth Road and George Hill. Contained within this area are several listed buildings, significant non– listed buildings, protected trees and parkland.
The village today
Due to its close proximity to Norwich, the village is a popular residential area. Amenities in Old Catton include a primary and a nursery school, medical practise, veterinary surgery, dental surgery and a range of privately owned businesses. Two public houses; the Maids Head and the Woodman are both located in the centre of the village. The recreation ground adjacent to Church Street is home to the Old Catton Junior Football Club. and the village cricket team which play in the Norfolk Cricket league. Lavare Park is located to the north of the village at Spixworth Road and offers various facilities including a full size football pitch. The park is named after the French commune of LavaréLavaré
Lavaré is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France. The commune is twinned with the village of Old Catton, Norfolk, England.-References:*...
which is twinned with Old Catton.
Notable buildings and structures
Round-tower church
Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, almost solely in East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in Norfolk, 38 in Suffolk, 6 in Essex, 3 in Sussex and 2 each in Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. There is evidence of about twenty round-tower...
flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
design with extensions. The tower is built of flint with an octagonal
Octagonal
Octagonal is a retired champion New Zealand-bred, Australian raced Thoroughbred racehorse, also known as 'The Big O' or 'Occy'. He was by the champion sire Zabeel, out of the champion broodmare Eight Carat, who also produced Group One winners Mouawad, Kaapstad, Diamond Lover and Marquise.Trained...
top of brick and flint which was fashionable in the 15th century. The majority of the alterations to the building took place in the 15th and 19th centuries. Memorials inside the church include Richard Westmacott
Richard Westmacott
Sir Richard Westmacott, Jr., RA was a British sculptor.-Life and career:He studied under his father, Richard Westmacott the Elder, before going to Rome in 1793 to study under Antonio Canova...
's 1820 memorial to the Mayor of Norwich; Jeremiah Ives. Also of note are several wall tablets of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is one of 124 existing round tower churches in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
Catton Hall, the hall was built c1780 for the High Steward of Norwich – Charles Buckle. In 1788 the hall and estate passed into the hands of Jeremiah Ives (1754–1820) –twice Mayor of Norwich. Today, it is privately owned and divided into separate apartments.
Catton Park, set around (the new) Catton Hall was laid out by Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
in 1788 and was his first paid commission though not a subject of one of his famous "Red Books". The park (and the adjoining War memorial deer park and Buttercup Meadow) are designated Grade II* on the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
. Some 28 hectares (69.2 acre) of parkland remain, and this area is undergoing restoration to open it to community use. Most of the park to the north has been used for a modern housing development, though within it the former laundry and some of the perimeter wall of the Hall remains.
The Ornamental Pond, the small gated garden at Parkside Drive contains remnants of Repton's original garden including a listed clamshell
Clamshell
The flip or clamshell is an electronics form factor which is in two or more sections that fold via a hinge. If the hinge is on a long edge the device is more likely to be called clamshell than flip phone ....
fountain set in a small oval pond. The garden is in the care of the Old Catton Society
Catton Old Hall, is located outside of the conservation area at Lodge Lane. The house was built in 1632 as a 'gentlemen's house' by William Bussey. Today, the property is used as a hotel.
The Orangery, the 18th century Grade II listed building has seen a variety of uses. Originally the orangery
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
to the adjacent Catton Hall, a museum for the Buxton family, and later as a voluntary aid hospital during the Great War. Today, the building serves as the village hall. The gates leading to the building were commissioned by Samuel Gurney Buxton of Catton Hall and made by the village blacksmith, William Badcock.
Anna Sewell House, Anna Sewell
Anna Sewell
Anna Sewell was an English novelist, best known as the author of the classic novel Black Beauty.-Biography:Anna Mary Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England into a devoutly Quaker family...
and her parents moved into the house at Spixworth Road in September, 1867. She began writing the children's classic
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
Black Beauty here in 1871 and completed her book in 1877. Sewell died in the house in 1878.
Notable residents
- Anna SewellAnna SewellAnna Sewell was an English novelist, best known as the author of the classic novel Black Beauty.-Biography:Anna Mary Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England into a devoutly Quaker family...
, a resident of Old Catton wrote Black BeautyBlack BeautyBlack Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only...
while living there.
- Barry PinchesBarry Pinches-External links:**...
, snookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player.
Public transport
- Bus
The village is served by the No 10, 16, 18 FirstGroup services
- Rail
Norwich railway station
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
External links
- Parish website
- Website with photos of Old Catton St. Margaret, a round-tower churchRound-tower churchRound-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, almost solely in East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in Norfolk, 38 in Suffolk, 6 in Essex, 3 in Sussex and 2 each in Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. There is evidence of about twenty round-tower...