THE NORTON PRIORY MUSEUM TRUST LIMITED

Registered charity 504870 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as NORTON PRIORY MUSEUM & GARDENS

Norton Priory Museum & Gardens cares for, interprets and develops the historic sites at Norton Priory and Halton Castle, creating accessible learning and leisure environments for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Objects

TO SECURE THE PRESERVATION, RESTORATION, IMPROVEMENT, ENHANCEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS, FEATURES AND OBJECTS OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST AND THE GARDENS IN THE SITE OF NORTON PRIORY RUNCORN, AND THE CONSTRUCTION AND PROVISION WITHIN THE SITE OF A MUSEUM FOR THE PUBLIC DISPLAY OF ARTIFACTS AND OTHER ITEMS RELATED TO THE AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY AND LATER BUILDINGS FORMERLY ON THE SITE AND IN ITS VICINITY.

Area of benefit: RUNCORN

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £39,237 against unrestricted funds, while restricted funds saw a surplus of £75,591. Total charity funds increased to £1,657,784, supported by a defined benefit pension scheme asset of £1,247,000. The filing notes the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under the small companies' regime.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Heritage Lottery Fund — “Our museum opened in August 2016 following a major HLF funded redevelopment project” (source page)

Property (HM Land Registry)

2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~3.8 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (58% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 17.7% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Christopher Brown
• Dr MARTIN MORLIDGE
• Guy Charles Thomas
• John Abbott
• Lynn Karen Pegler
• MOIRA HELEN STEVENSON · trustee of 1 other charity
• Paul Nolan · trustee of 1 other charity
• Paula Williams
• Sharon Allen
• Sir Richard Christopher Brooke · trustee of 1 other charity
• Therese Jane Kearney

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Halton

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST PETER, NORTON JUXTA MALTON.

• THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST PETER, NORTON JUXTA MALTON income £529k
• THE HORNIMAN PUBLIC MUSEUM AND PUBLIC PARK TRUST income £10.4m
• ST MARY'S CHURCH, CHIPPING NORTON, PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL income £386k
• THE NORTON FOUNDATION income £153k
• NORTON VILLAGE HALL income £110k
• THE MONASTERY OF ST FRANCIS GORTON TRUST LTD income £1.5m

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.