Old Catton
Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK place
Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk which lies Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert and had a population of 5,954 in 2,512 households at the 2001 census,<ref>Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes Template:Webarchive. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.</ref> increasing to a population of 6,108 in 2,666 households at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Broadland. The village is twinned with the French commune of Lavaré.<ref name="Twinning association">Twinning associationTemplate:Dead link Retrieved 12 November 2009</ref>
Historical developmentEdit
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 Book 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, Jewsons, Buxtons, Lindleys, Norman and the Tilletts built their houses here.<ref name=Cat>Old Catton conservation area Template:Webarchive Retrieved 21 October 2009</ref>
Old Catton conservation areaEdit
The conservation area was designated in 1986 and encompasses three important open spaces: Catton Park, 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.
AmenitiesEdit
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 practice, veterinary surgery, dental surgery and a range of privately owned businesses.
There are 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<ref>Old Catton Junior Football Club Retrieved 11 November 2009</ref> and the village cricket team,<ref>Old Catton cricket club Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11 November 2009</ref> which plays 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.<ref>Lavare Park Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11 November 2009</ref> The park is named after the French commune of Lavaré which is twinned with Old Catton.<ref name="Twinning association"/>
TransportEdit
BusesEdit
Bus services in the area are provided primarily by First Eastern Counties and Sanders Coaches. First route 13, on the Turquoise Line, serves the city centre, Attleborough, Wymondham, Hethersett and Spixworth.<ref>First Eastern Counties - Route 13 & X13 Retrieved 30 June 2024</ref> Route 21 and 21A, on the Orange Line, serves the city centre, Bowthorpe, Earlham and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.<ref>First Eastern Counties - Route 21 & 21A Retrieved 30 June 2024</ref> Sanders routes 54 and X55 both travel to North Walsham, through Buxton and Badersfield (54)<ref>Sanders Coaches - Route 54 Retrieved 30 June 2024</ref> and Coltishall and Scottow (X55).<ref>Sanders Coaches - Route X55 Retrieved 30 June 2024</ref> Some journeys on the X55 travel as far as Mundesley, allowing convenient access to the coast.
RailwayEdit
The nearest National Rail station is Norwich; it provides direct trains to locations throughout East Anglia and to London, operated by Greater Anglia.
Notable buildings and structuresEdit
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.<ref>St Margarets churchTemplate:Dead link Retrieved 16 November 2009</ref>
Catton Hall, the hall was built c1780 for the High Steward of Norwich – Charles Buckle.<ref>The building of Catton HallTemplate:Dead link Retrieved 5 June 2014</ref> In 1788 the hall and estate passed into the hands of Jeremiah Ives (1754–1820) –twice Mayor of Norwich.<ref>Jeremiah Ives Template:Webarchive Retrieved 13 November 2012</ref> Today, it is privately owned and divided into separate apartments.<ref name=Cat/>
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 Template:Convert 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.<ref>Ornamental pond Template:Webarchive Retrieved 20 October 2009</ref>
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.<ref>Catton Old Hall Retrieved 2 November 2009</ref>
The Orangery, the 18th century Grade II listed building has seen a variety of uses. Originally an orangery adjacent to Catton Hall, it has been 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.<ref>Voluntary aid hospitalTemplate:Dead link Retrieved 13 November 2009</ref>
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.<ref>Anna Sewell in Old CattonTemplate:Dead link Retrieved 5 April 2014</ref>
Notable residentsEdit
- Anna Sewell, a resident of Old Catton wrote Black Beauty while living there.
- Barry Pinches, snooker player.
- Sir Standish Hartstonge, 1st Baronet, judge and founder of a prominent Irish political dynasty.