Sedgley was named after the wet boggy area of land that stretched from Castle Hill on Bury Old Road, past Kersal Moor towards the site of the old Romand fort at Agecroft. Sedge itself being a type of grass found in swampy and boggy land, and "ly" derives from "leah", a wood or a clearing in woodland. So sedgley was a bog surrounded by woodland.

Sedgley House (1891)

[The 1851 census shows John Prince Lee, The Lord Bishop of Manchester residing at Sedgley House (though this is thought to be Sedgley Park/Hall as it is recorded as being near to High Bank)]

The 1861-1871 census returns show William Pearson a commission merchant of grey calico, residing at Sedgley House, along with his wife , six daughters, a niece and a nephew, and 5-7 servants. This William commissioned Sedgley House to be built in the gothic style of the era and popular in this region e.g. Sir Edward Holt's Woodthorpe, and Charlton House. William died in 1872, aged 67.

Plan: the 1850s house has a central entrance hall flanked by dining and drawing rooms (to S) with open-well stair hall to rear, and an office and garden room along E side. Services form a NW wing with service stair tower built into the angle thus formed. Parallel service and private corridors connect this building with the later extension which is not of special interest. Billiard room to rear. Two storeys and attic. Exterior: Front: three bays, all steeply gabled, the outer bays projecting to form shallow wings with canted storeyed bay windows. Porch with wide arch, buttresses with set-offs, and pierced parapets. Bay windows of 1:3:1 lights with stone mullions and transoms; all other windows of two lights. Bargeboarding to wings, stone coping to central gable. Right return, also of three bays, all under gables with varied detailing; asymmetrical but regular fenestration of two, three and four lights (mullions and transoms), one (to study) recessed behind wide arch. Left return with one gabled window bay (treated as to other elevations) and a 3-stage stair tower to junction with services. Rear: 2:1:2 bays, treated similarly to other elevations, the centre bay projecting with corbelled angles to attic. Stacks truncated.

The census of 1881 & 1891 shows Sedgley House, with Themistocles Petrocokino resident, with his wife, extended family and 4 to 7 servants.



[In 1881, Stephen E Petrocokino lived just the other side of Sedgley Park, at Claremont Villas on Bury New Road (opposite Cavendish Road). A couple of doors down were the Alexandroff family who later moved to Sedgley Mount next door to Sedgley House.]

Themistocles, born to Greek parents in Bradford, West Yorkshire,educated at Harrow, was an East and West India merchant and prominent member of the Manchester Greek Community. While living in Prestwich, the family were trendsetters. He employed James Lamb to transform the interior of the house and placed the family emblem on ceilings, the staircase, the chimney piece and even lamps and clocks.

James Lamb was a Manchester cabinet-maker with an international reputation, he had international success winning medals at the London 1862 and the Paris 1867 Exhibitions. Read more about James Lamb here .

The Petrocokino family even owned their very own motor car at a time when the horse-drawn cart was a common sight on the area's roads. But the Petrocokinos were so wary of the new technology, they insisted on sitting in a cart drawn by the car, rather than travelling in the car itself!

In 1887 the King of Greece visited Manchester, and a Greek minister staid at Sedgley House during the visit writing to thank the Mayor for the welcome.

Greek Minister Letter of thanks

In 1891, their son John Themistocles Petrocokino, 24, Merchant, married the daughter of another prominent Prestwich family, Alice Mather, 25,daughter of Sir William Mather of Wood Hill

Petrocokino Family

In 1900, at Paris, Themistocles died (and as the Greek church had no consecrated ground he was buried in St Mary's churchyard, and Merope, his widow resided at Sedgley House along with her son-in-law George Frangopulo and his family.

Petrocokino Burial

By 1901 Merope Petrocokino, widow was resided at Sedgley House along with her son-in-law George Frangopulo and his family. Themistocles & Merope had another son, named Ambrose, who served in the Greco-Turkish, the Boer and the First World Wars. He married Violet Anne May Sykes — the daughter of a baron, Sir Frederick Henry Sykes.

Petrocokino Family Grave

Here is a Link to a photo gallery of Greek Graves in St Mary's Churchyard.



You can also read more about some of the Greek Families buried at St Mary's here.

In 1904 Sedgley House was sold via auction.

1904 auction

The house was bought by The Faithful Companions of Jesus and used as a Roman Catholic Training College, with a large extension being constructed in 1905.

Sedgley House (1909)

1905 extension

1905 Extension

It then became Sedgley Park Teacher Training College and it is currently a GM Police training College, and is classed as a Grade II listed building - mainly because of its interior.

As well as a conference centre, and accommodation suites, it also has a memorial garden to officers who died in the line of duty.

Entrance Hall

Drawing Room

Interior

Music Room

Garden Room

By the 1970's the College had been extended further.

College extension 1970's

Moors killer Myra Hindley stayed in a flat in the centre, used by the senior officer in charge, when she was escorted back to Saddleworth Moor in March 1987 to help search for the graves of some of her and Ian Brady’s victims.