Samuel Brooks
Encyclopedia
Samuel Brooks was born at Great Harwood
, near Whalley in Lancashire
, England
, the second son of William Brooks
. In 1815 he became a partner in his father’s Blackburn-based business, Cunliffe Brooks & Co
. This business supplied cotton
and/or textile equipment, and also ran a bank
as a sideline. Around 1819 his father set up Samuel and his two brothers as junior partners in three separate firms of calico printers in Manchester. Samuel opened a small branch of his father’s bank in a corner of his warehouse. Gradually, banking became his principal activity, and in 1826 the bank moved to its own premises. It soon became established as one of Manchester
’s leading banks. In 1830, Brooks chaired the first meeting of the promoters of the Manchester and Leeds Railway
, and became its first deputy chairman.
probably after his boyhood home. Tollbars guarded this exclusive area and the site of one of them is still called “Brooks’s Bar” though simplified in local pronunciation to Brooks' Bar (with long "oo"). Here is the Whalley Hotel on the corner of Withington Road and Upper Chorlton Road.
(within Trafford
since 1974) from the Earl of Stamford
and made further purchases later. He enhanced its value by draining, scrub clearance and tree planting. The area was crossed by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
, opened in 1849.
and Timperley
stations, and in 1855, 45 residents petitioned for a station there. The company took no action but in 1859, Brooks negotiated terms for a station. He offered an acre of land for £200, and guaranteed to pay the company £300 if annual receipts had not reached £100 after five years. The unofficial name "Brooks’s land" soon became Brooklands
, and the station so named opened there on 1 December 1859. Annual receipts reached £100 after two years.
-Altrincham
turnpike
(now the A560) and two minor roads: Dobbinetts Lane and Whitecarr lane. This was called Hale Road. It then used Roaring Gate Lane to Davenport
Green before providing a further new road (Ashley Road) to the Altrincham-Wilmslow
road (now the A538) in the village of Hale
. The name Brooks’s road gradually became accepted for Hale Road and Ashley Road. It can easily be followed today (2007).
Beyond the immediate vicinity of Brooklands, most of this road was not used for development. It may have been made for Samuel’s own convenience in travelling around his estate. Since World War II, development has been restricted by planning laws and some of the road still passes through greenbelt agricultural land. Other parts are likely to be developed in the near future.
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...
, near Whalley in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the second son of William Brooks
William Brooks of Blackburn
William Brooks was a supplier of cotton to spinners around Whalley and Blackburn. He went into partnership with Roger Cunliffe. In 1792 they founded Cunliffe Brooks Bank at Blackburn but at first manufacturing was the main activity.- Sources :...
. In 1815 he became a partner in his father’s Blackburn-based business, Cunliffe Brooks & Co
Cunliffe, Brooks
Cunliffe, Brooks and Co. was a bank founded in Blackburn, Lancashire, England in 1792. In 1819, Samuel Brooks, son of one of the founders, opened a branch of the bank in Manchester. In the 1820s, a second generation Cunliffe opened a London house, at 29 Lombard Street...
. This business supplied cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and/or textile equipment, and also ran a bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
as a sideline. Around 1819 his father set up Samuel and his two brothers as junior partners in three separate firms of calico printers in Manchester. Samuel opened a small branch of his father’s bank in a corner of his warehouse. Gradually, banking became his principal activity, and in 1826 the bank moved to its own premises. It soon became established as one of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
’s leading banks. In 1830, Brooks chaired the first meeting of the promoters of the Manchester and Leeds Railway
Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
, and became its first deputy chairman.
Whalley Range
In 1836 he bought Jackson’s Moss, a swampy area south of the city centre. He drained it and built villas for wealthy businessmen such as himself. The house he built for himself was named Whalley House and the area acquired the name Whalley RangeWhalley Range
Whalley Range is an area of Manchester, England, about 2 miles southwest of the city centre. It was one of the earliest of the city's suburbs, built by local businessman Samuel Brooks.-History:...
probably after his boyhood home. Tollbars guarded this exclusive area and the site of one of them is still called “Brooks’s Bar” though simplified in local pronunciation to Brooks' Bar (with long "oo"). Here is the Whalley Hotel on the corner of Withington Road and Upper Chorlton Road.
Brooklands
In 1856 Samuel bought a vast area of land in North CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
(within Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
since 1974) from the Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
and made further purchases later. He enhanced its value by draining, scrub clearance and tree planting. The area was crossed by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
, opened in 1849.
Railway station
A road crossed this railway between SaleSale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
and Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....
stations, and in 1855, 45 residents petitioned for a station there. The company took no action but in 1859, Brooks negotiated terms for a station. He offered an acre of land for £200, and guaranteed to pay the company £300 if annual receipts had not reached £100 after five years. The unofficial name "Brooks’s land" soon became Brooklands
Brooklands, Trafford
Brooklands is an area and electoral ward within Sale, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is to the south-southwest of Manchester city centre and has a total resident population of 9,773....
, and the station so named opened there on 1 December 1859. Annual receipts reached £100 after two years.
Private road (Brooklands Road etc.)
As at Whalley Range, so at Brooklands he built a private road in 1862 with land available for superior residences. This road was four miles long and led to the station. It was wide and tree lined, with a sound stone foundation. From Brooklands Station it led straight in a south-easterly direction for 2 ½ miles. This part is called Brooklands Road on the 1872 six inch map. It crossed the StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
-Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
(now the A560) and two minor roads: Dobbinetts Lane and Whitecarr lane. This was called Hale Road. It then used Roaring Gate Lane to Davenport
Davenport, Greater Manchester
Davenport is a district of Stockport, Greater Manchester in the North West region of England.- History :Davenport's name arose from the building of Davenport railway station at the behest of the Davenport family who since the later 14th century had owned nearby Bramall Hall in the neighbouring...
Green before providing a further new road (Ashley Road) to the Altrincham-Wilmslow
Wilmslow
-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
road (now the A538) in the village of Hale
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....
. The name Brooks’s road gradually became accepted for Hale Road and Ashley Road. It can easily be followed today (2007).
Beyond the immediate vicinity of Brooklands, most of this road was not used for development. It may have been made for Samuel’s own convenience in travelling around his estate. Since World War II, development has been restricted by planning laws and some of the road still passes through greenbelt agricultural land. Other parts are likely to be developed in the near future.
Sources
- Brackenbury, Allan (1993) "The Road from Brooklands Station", in: Journal of the Railway and Canal History Society; Vol 31, Pt 4, No. 156, pp. 170–74 (Nov 1993)
Some sources quoted by Brackenbury
- Grindon, Leo (1877) Manchester Banks and Bankers. Manchester: Palmer & Howe
- Dixon, Frank (1973) The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway. Lingfield: Oakwood Press ISBN 0853611165