Norton is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. The name Norton means northern town or farm.[2] Located close to the A14, its nearest railway station is at Elmswell, just over 3 miles (5 km) away. The closest towns are Stowmarket 8 miles (13 km) away and Bury St Edmunds, around 10 miles (16 km) away.
| Norton | |
|---|---|
 Norton Church and Rectory | |
  Norton Location within Suffolk | |
| Population | 1,003 (2011)[1] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bury St Edmunds |
| Postcode district | IP31 |
| Dialling code | 01359 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editThe village once formed part of Blackbourn Hundred, which appears in the Domesday Book.[3] Its agricultural past is reflected in the number of listed buildings in the village today that are former barns, stables and cartlodges.[4] An 1870s gazetteer of Britain describes the parish as comprising 2,449 acres and having a population of 948. It also mentions it as a meet for the Suffolk fox hounds.[5]
The village today
editToday the village has a population of around 800.[6] Community facilities include a Greene King pub called "The Norton Dog" and a village shop located in the Total service station on Woolpit Road.[7] A mobile Post Office is located next to the village hall every weekday afternoon.
Norton has a pre-school next to the village hall and a Church of England voluntary primary school, with children generally moving on to middle school in the nearby communities of Ixworth and Beyton. Secondary education is provided at Thurston Community College.[8][9]
The community is served by three churches, with a Baptist church and Salvation Army citadel on Woolpit Road. The Medieval Church of St Andrew at Norton, located some way from the centre of the village, contains a collection of eight 14th century misericords and is believed to stand on the site of a Saxon church.[10][11]
Norton is served with a bus service to Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket which operates on a daily basis.
Little Haugh Hall
editNear the village is Little Haugh Hall, a Grade II* listed building. In the 18th century it was the home of the antiquarian Cox Macro.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ Civil Parish population 2011, Neighbourhood Statistics, Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
- ^ Norton Village website. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
- ^ "Norton 1865". History of Suffolk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ Norton, Suffolk, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
- ^ "History of Norton in Mid Suffolk | Map and description". Visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ "Norton Map - Street and Road Maps of Suffolk England UK". Itraveluk.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ Norton Dog, The Suffolk Real Ale Guide, CAMRA. Retrieved 2013-02-01./
- ^ "Norton Pre-School Suffolk. About Us". Nortonpre-school.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ "Norton CEVC Primary School – Welcome". Norton.suffolk.sch.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ "Norton". Suffolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ A Church Near You. "Norton, St Andrew, Norton - Suffolk | Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich". Achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Little Haugh Hall (1352425)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Courtney, William Prideaux (1893). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 283.