This picture shows Brookfield Sunday School as it is today.Brookfield Church and Sunday School
In more recent times
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This picture shows Brookfield Sunday School as it is today.
The building was sold to a Housing Association and converted into retirement homes after becoming disused and derelict for a number of years. The school was once the venue for many events including Boy's Brigade, Girl Guides, Brownies, 64 Group meetings, and of course Sunday School classes. Once a month they would even hold a jumble sale in aid of these groups. The school was looked after by the late Gordon Thompson and Alan Pearson who were also former Boy's Brigade leaders. At one time an old time social was held on Saturday nights. Brookfield was reckoned to have one of the best dance floors in Manchester.
In the school's heyday, the annual pantomime was a noteworthy event. The large hall and stage, with a complete range of lighting, combined with a full complement of performers must have provided good entertainment for many audiences throughout the years. Programmes are displayed on the main page of this site. The main Sunday School room had a small podium and the back wall sported a fine mural, which is visible in my photograph of the Life Boys. Numerous rooms, and the large cellar which was complete with toilets, a workshop and a kitchen gives some idea of the magnitude of events in the school's former years.
Dwindling numbers of attendance over the years, and sadly the passing of Gordon Thompson finally led to the school's closure. The vandals quickly moved in and stripped anything of any value. Roof tiles, lead from parts of the roof, and even the lead covering on the pinnacle on the roof disappeared. Months of heavy rain caused the stonework to become damp and discolour due to the roof being open. It looked in a very sad state. The cenotaph had fortunately been removed and placed at the side of the church adjacent to the lodge.
The school was finally rescued when the Housing Association bought it and converted it into retirement homes. It is nice to see that this fine listed building which hosted so many memorable events has been finally preserved.
The Gorton Schools stone from 1863, and the grave of Robert Clay, who built the
original school.
This picture shows the Gorton Schools stone from 1863, and is now on the green at the back of the church. The original school, built by Robert Clay, was demolished and replaced by the present school building, which was referred to as the New Schools, and opened in 1900. Programmes for the laying of the memorial stones, and the subsequent opening of the new schools are to be seen on the main page. Various letters and tickets for the fundraising events for the new schools are also displayed on the main page.
The foundation stones from the Sunday School.
These pictures show the Sunday school foundation stones that were laid on June 24th 1899. The first one was laid by F.W. Peacock Esq. J.P. The second one, which was difficult to photograph, was laid by Robert Clay, who also built the old school. The programme for this event, can be seen on the main page.
The bells of Brookfield Church before the clean up.
This picture, taken in 1985 shows the bells of Brookfield in a rather dirty condition. They were rarely rung due to the church having no team of ringers. Visiting teams from the Lancashire Association would ring them occasionally.
In 1984 I approached the Church Committee with a view to the bells being rung once again. Being a qualified ringer myself I was in a position to train a band. As soon as I got the go ahead I began the daunting task of cleaning the tower ready for use. The belfry had been home to pigeons for decades, due to having no wire netting over the louvres to keep them out. I filled and carried over forty bin liners full of debris, from the top of the tower and down the narrow spiral staircase.
After the cleaning was complete I began to train some new recruits. At first there was a lot of interest but that too dwindled with time. We actually got to a stage where we were ringing six bells for Sunday Service!
The late Bryan Rumney and myself (right) ringing for Sunday Service.
This rather sombre looking picture, taken in March 1985, shows two of us ringing for Sunday Service. After the other ringers lost interest, Bryan and myself continued to ring two bells. The tower has eight bells; the largest one being just over 13cwt. The bells are inscribed with the names of the Peacock family. Brookfield is one of only two Unitarian churches worldwide that has a ring of bells. The other being Todmorden in West Yorkshire.
I am pleased to hear that the tower has now been "bird proofed" and now has an active band of ringers, and regularly hold a practice night and ring on Sundays.
Picture of tablet in memory of Richard Peacock.
This picture shows the tablet erected in memory of Richard Peacock. who financed the building of the church. It is situated on the outside wall, facing Hyde Road. The church was given as a thanksgiving for the recovery of his daughter from a serious illness. The tablet was cast from bronze at the Beyer Peacock foundry.
The graves of William Dodge Cooper and Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw.
The graves of William Dodge Cooper, former Minister of the Old Chapel, and Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw who was a well respected trustee are situated in the old graveyard at the very back of the church. Details of these people are mentioned on the Short History page.
The old graveyard is all that remains of the Old Chapel. It is in a very dilapidated state and is very overgrown. Years of vandalism and neglect have led to most of the upright stones being broken. The tomb of Mr. Cooper pictured above has also been severely damaged. Very few stones are now readable due to the damage. It is only the more robust ones like Mr. Grimshaw's that have survived. Some details of other well known people that were associated with the old chapel, and buried in the old graveyard, can be found in the short history page.
No future plans have been made for the old graveyard. None of the graves have ever been attended to in years. I don't think anybody even knows who legally owns it. It just continues to be used by young people drinking and for people walking their dogs.