School Trip

The Heritage Society has been working with Park View Primary School. Jack Barrett, our Chairman, visited the school to talk to Year 3 pupils about local history. On the following Thursday (2nd October) Jack led 59 pupils on a walk to St. Mary’s Parish Church. We went into St. Mary’s Park first. Jack explained that it was formerly a lake or moat that surrounded the Manor House / Rectory. The children listened at a manhole to the sound of the original stream in a culvert 15 metres below the surface. We crossed the main road into the Flower Park. The restored gardens have been planted by Amanda, Secretary of the Society, and her volunteer helpers after Bury Council lost interest in it. Jack pointed out several features as we followed the old path to the church such as the site of the old bandstand and the triangular stone from 1828 that asks the “Publick” to “keep off the grass”. He also said the Clough, that is now full of trees, was bare when he was a lad due to pollution. We looked at the Church Inn and the seventeenth century sundial in the Rectory garden. The sundial was originally at the site of the old Rectory in Rectory Gardens. Inside the churchyard the children looked at the Horsing stone, the War Memorial and the oldest known tombstone. This records the deaths of four children of Thomas Collier between the 1st and 12th of December 1641. The pupils then walked around the outside of the Church and back to school just before home time. It was a lovely afternoon and the children were very good. They asked and answered questions with interest. Our thanks go to Miss Benson of the School and to Jack Barrett. Other schools that want input from the Heritage Society can contact the website – www.prestwichheritage.co.uk