History, Background & Legalities

What is now the upper part of Graves Park, eighty acres of Norton Park, was purchased hurriedly by JP Graves to prevent it being built on by developers. Otherwise it would be a vast sea of 1930's semis in a huge estate today. It, Norton Park, was the grounds of Norton Hall, which is still there.

There is a Graves Park Trust, with two sets of Trust Deeds for the two parts of the park, to protect the status of the parkland presented to the city, consisting of the councillors.

The walled kitchen garden and orchard of Norton Hall, (all these country houses had them), became nurseries to grow plants for the Sheffield park system. This can be seen if you go to the site, the wall at the back being taken down to extend the nurseries.

If the land is leased out or sold, a new site for the depot for equipment to maintain the parks and for the feed for the animals of the rare breeds centre will have to be found. they use part of the Nurseries site.

Campaigners when an attempt was made to sell the site ten years ago have stated in letters that a new depot was to be built in Greenhill Park which would have taken up half of that park.

Legal position

The Charity Commission have stated in letters that it is most unlikely that the land could be leased/sold for this purpose and that legally it could not be leased for purposes other than directly connected with the park.