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) for Cumberland 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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1] The school's historic main building was destroyed by fire in 1989.[1]