In the 1770s some of Mr Lincoln's land at Catton had been purchased by

Charles Buckle, High Steward of Norwich, and he developed it as an estate for

occasional residence, building Catton Hall⁴ in the northern section of the

triangle bounded by Church Street, whilst the Norwich to Catton Road and a

short section of the Norwich to Spixworth Road together with part of Oak Lane

formed the western and eastern apexes of the triangle respectively.

Mr Buckle had been residing in Catton at least by 1772 when he had been

Steward to the Manor Court at Catton⁵.  Mr Buckle evidently had ambitions to

increase his landholdings in order to enlarge the amount of land available to

make a park, as shown by his application to the magistrates in October 1778 to

realign the Norwich to Catton Road so that it ran further westwards instead of

curving to the east.  He declared: "I Charles Buckle of Catton in the County of

Norfolk Esq having been for some time past the owner of part of the lands and

by exchange with Edmund Lincoln Esq of the other part therefore through which

part of a certain Highway is intended to be diverted and turned in a manner as in

the plan hereto annexed is particularly described, do in consideration of the old

highway therein marked with the letter F, being sold, exchanged or vested in me

thereby consent to the making and continuing such new highway through the

lands aforesaid agreeable to the plan hereto annexed."

Also evident on the map are a fine set of entrance gates on the old road giving

access to Catton Hall⁶.  In the lower corner of the map is the gravel pit which

since 1852 has been in the park.  Some tree planting on the line of the new road

had taken place before the agreement.  It may be also at this time after the new

western road boundary of the park had been made that extensive tree planting

was carried out to form an arc of planting at the southern apex of the park.

This was more extensive on the eastern boundary than the western to shield the

views of properties fronting the Spixworth Road pre-dating Mr Buckle's ownership

of land at Catton and not in his ownership, including the Maid's Head Public House,

the Rectory and The Firs.

By 1780 Catton was popular for houses in the country as noted by Armstrong:

"A very pleasant village, and the residence of many opulent manufacturers,

who have retired from Norwich, and built elegant houses.  It is distant from the

city a mile and a half north and extends beyond the two mile stone.  The late

Robert Roger, esq. and Robert Harvey, esq. both Aldermen of Norwich, have

erected handsome seats in this village: as also Jeremy Ives Harvey, esq.

and Mr Suffield"⁷.

___________________________________________________________

⁴ T. Williamson 'Catton Park; a brief report on the historic landscape and its significance' in

The Landscape Partnership Catton Park Conservation Plan, January 2004.

⁵ NRO DCN/60 Manor Court Account for 1773

⁶ NRO C/Sce 1 Road Order Book 1,25

⁷ M J Armstrong History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk, (1781)

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