Norton Priory giant St Christopher statue inspires a 'Summer of Stories' at the museum and gardens

Norton Priory’s giant medieval St Christopher statue, which once featured in a popular children’s book, has inspired a wonderful ‘Summer of Stories’ at the Runcorn Museum and Gardens visitor attraction.

The impressive sandstone statue, which has adorned the site since 1390, features in Lucy Boston’s 1950s novels about ‘The Children of Green Knowe’, which inspired a 2009 feature film ‘From Time to Time’ by Julian Fellows, starring Dame Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville.

A selection of the Green Knowe artefacts belonging to Lucy Boston, including her original manuscript, books, posters and her Carnegie Medal, will be on display throughout the summer in the main gallery.

Lynn Smith, Senior Keeper at Norton Priory, said: “We are thrilled to have this marvellous collection on display near to the Saint Christopher statue which inspired some of the action in the story.

“Lucy Boston was born in Southport and spent just over a decade living in Norton village in the 1920s and 30s. The statue clearly made a great impression on her. In the book published by Faber in 1954, she imagines the children watching the statue come to life, carrying a young child across a river.

“Her descriptions are magical: Out into the moonlight came St Christopher himself, huge and gentle and with his head among the stars, taking the stone Child on his shoulders to Midnight Mass.”

The ‘Summer of Stories’ will feature a wide range of events from poetry readings and storytelling to theatre productions, including Wind in the Willows (6 July), Pride and Prejudice (25 June), and Shakespeare’s The Tempest (24 August).

Digging deep among the history and artefacts around Norton Priory’s beautiful 42 acre estate, ‘Stories from the Soil’ will shed light on hidden surprises, such as recollections from archaeologist Dr Patrick Greene OBE on his excavations in the 1970s and 80s.

A trail around the gallery will reveal intriguing clues to surprising tales hidden in objects, such as a Japanese fairy story hidden in 18th century pottery and medieval bottles used to protect people against witches.

For more information about the full programme of events and visiting Norton Priory Museum and Gardens, please visit www.nortonpriory.org.