Bradshaw Brook Church

Bradshaw Brook Church

Bradshaw Brook ChurchMethodist services in Bradshaw Brook started as early s 1827.

When Mr Dodson moved from Plumley to Bradshaw Brook he built a new farmhouse and buildings called Chapel Farm, Middlewich Road. In the building was a Preaching Room" for religious services.

In 1858 a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built at a cost of £300 with voluntary labour.

A Sunday School was added in 1868.

John Clarkson of The Limes invited a world famous evangelist, Gypsy Smith, to preach at Bradshaw Brook in 1936. At this huge Methodist gathering a fund was started towards a new Chapel which was opened in 1960 on land given by Mr Clarkson.

The Old Chapel was architecturally attractive and historically of interest but it had ‘structural defects’ and dry rot. It was demolished to the dismay of some local residents.

Bradshaw Brook MapThe new Chapel is a simple 1960’s building but it has maintained the Methodist tradition and now provides accommodation for a pre-school nursery. Olliers of Lower Peover were the builders and the cost approx. £7,400. The Joseph Rank Trust gave a grant of £2,000, the rest was raised by local efforts over many years and the new Church opened free of debt.

Allostock Parish Council planted a Millennium Yew Tree at the front of the Church in 2000.

The Methodist stalwarts of the Old Chapel were all farmers and included:-

William Carter of Millgate Farm

John Venables of Bradshaw Brook Farm

James Frith of Heath Farm

William Hesketh of Brook House Farm

Samuel Hall of Chestnut House Farm

John and Denis Carter of Brook House Farm

T.B.Hesketh of Bradshaw House

Explore Our Local History

Many thanks to Julia Wilson who provided much of the History section, and acknowledgements to the late Charles Bentley who resourced some of the local history and to Gordon Nisbett for much of the information on the history of Allostock School and the WI and others for local memories.