Norton is located about 3 miles south of the city centre. It lies close to the A61 Chesterfield to Sheffield road and just within Sheffield’s outer ring road (A6102). Norton Conservation Area is based around the old village, with a collection of listed and unlisted historic buildings at its heart. It has a semi-rural backwater feel which is due in part to its proximity to Graves Park (part of which lies within the conservation area).
The special interest that justifies designation of the Norton Conservation Area comes from the following features:
- church of St James (Grade II*) and its churchyard including medieval preaching cross and tomb of Sir Francis Chantrey
- Norton Hall (Grade II*) and the architectural and historic interest of eight other listed buildings
- ensemble of historic buildings informally scattered beside the medieval church and Norton Church Lane at the heart of the village of Norton
- John Eaton’s Almshouses, a planned inter-war development of single-storey cottages arranged around a central rectangular courtyard (c1940)
- former grounds of Norton Hall now part of Graves Park, Sheffield’s largest public park containing wide open spaces, copses of trees, woodland and three ponds
- leafy ambience and quiet atmosphere of the village’s historic core
- the prevalent use of local stone
- mature trees
- distinctive local features and details such as the memorial obelisk, war memorial, stone boundary walls and gate piers, stone horse trough
- westward views of the Peak District
Date of designation
The Norton Conservation Area was designated on 16 October 1969.