As well as Gorton’s first MP, Richard Peacock became one of the most significant figures in local history, and founded a legacy which continues to this day.
Born in Swaledale, Yorkshire in 1820, Peacock moved to Gorton in 1841 to work as Locomotive Superintendent at the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway, which subsequently became the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, it was then that he founded the Gorton Locomotive Works.
In 1847 Peacock and fellow engineer Charles Beyer founded the infamous Beyer-Peacock locomotive company, which covered 14 acres and became one of the largest in the United Kingdom, providing locomotives to the world.
Peacock took a active role in the local environment and community, and was involved with the prosperity of the area, becoming the first Chairman of the Local Board of the Gorton district.
He also commissioned the Grade II listed Brookfield Unitarian Church, as well as Peacock School, which, until recently, still stood in it’s place on Gorton Lane, close to the Beyer-Peacock site. The street ‘Peacock close’ remains as a testament to Peacock’s significance in local history.
In 1885 Peacock was elected as a Member of Parliament for the newly-created constituency of Gorton as a Liberal Party representative and remained so until his death.
He lived at Gorton Hall, which he had built for himself, his wife and five children. Though Gorton Hall was bulldozed in 1906, Gorton Lodge, which stood at the entrance gates to the hall, still stands today as a private residence.
It was at the hall that Peacock died in 1889 at the age of 69 from a ‘lingering illness’. He is buried in the Peacock Mausoleum in Brookfield Church’s graveyard (main photo).
Find out more about Richard Peacock by reading his obituaries here.
You can find out more about Richard Peacock’s work and locomotive legacy at the Museum of Science and Industry, or reading their feature here.
His Wikipedia entry is available to read here.
Gorton, Manchester 
[…] also stands nest to the church. The Richard Peacock Mausoleum (below image) is the resting place of Richard Peacock, Gorton’s first MP, and his son Joseph. The tomb is in French Gothic style with bats, […]
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[…] to have been supplied by the financial contributions of Gorton resident, and historical figure, Richard Peacock MP (main […]
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[…] Just over fifty years later this map from 1896 shows the dramatic change that has taken place in Gorton and the Manchester area. Much of the agricultural fields and paddocks are gone, replaced by housing, with fields only remaining in the south of Gorton and pockets throughout the north. Belle vue’s Zoological Gardens remain, as do the reservoirs at Debdale Park (still present today), with some remaining locations noted including the chapel of St Thomas (now St James’ Church) and Nico Ditch. This map now shows Belle Vue station (still in operation today) and Abbey Hey, an area of Gorton at the North-East tip meeting Droylsden, as well as Brookfield Church, so built at the expense of Richard Peacock. […]
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[…] second structure was later lived in by the Bennett family, Brahams family and subsequently, the Peacock family whose patriarch’s initials can still be seen over the front window of the entrance lodge, […]
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[…] Who was Richard Peacock? […]
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