Wigton School (also called Brookfield School or Friends' School) was an independent boarding school on the outskirts of Wigton, Cumbria. The school was opened on 4 September 1815 by the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

( Quakers) for

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and Northumberland. The initial student intake was 9 boys and 8 girls in premises at Highmoor in existing buildings. These first buildings were leased at an annual rent of 27 guineas. In 1826, the main school site opened at Brookfield, commissioned by the Society of Friends. A London architect designed the buildings in classic Georgian style. The school motto was "We seek the truth." The school badge comprised a shield with a green background and diagonal river to represent the school's rural location with a beck (small brook) running through the grounds. On one side of the diagonal was a lamp to represent knowledge. On the other side was a set of scales to represent fairness and tolerance, key Quaker virtues. The school expanded over the years. Student numbers peaked in the mid-1970s at around 210. Following the peak, student numbers declined and in 1984 the school closed. The school's historic main building was destroyed by fire in 1989.

References

External links

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Memories of Friends School c1965, Wigton

British Listed Buildings: Brookfield School, Wigton

Brookfield School reunion website

List of school archives held at The National Archives
1815 establishments in England Boarding schools in Cumbria Defunct schools in Cumbria Educational institutions disestablished in 1984 Educational institutions established in 1815 Georgian architecture in England Quaker schools in England 1984 disestablishments in England Wigton Defunct boarding schools in England {{Cumbria-school-stub