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Gorton Monastery
The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a Grade II* listed former Franciscan friary on Gorton Lane in Gorton, an area of Manchester, England. It was designed by the Victorian architect Edward Welby Pugin and built between 1866 and 1872. Gorton Monastery is a noted example of Gothic Revival architecture.
The building ceased to be used for Christian worship in 1989 and fell derelict for many years. Following a restoration programme, it reopened in 2007 and now operates as a secular events venue and as a community and heritage space.
In 1861 the then Bishop of Salford, Herbert Vaughan, invited a Belgian community of Recollects, a branch of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, to come to Manchester and found a new church. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and began work on a new friary. The construction lasted from 1863 to 1867, and most of the building work was done by the friars themselves, with a brother acting as clerk of works.
The noted architect Edward Welby Pugin (1834–1875) was appointed to design the new monastery church. Pugin was the son of the celebrated architect Augustus Pugin, who championed the revival of Gothic as the style of architecture which was the ideal expression of Catholic faith and worship in church buildings. Edward Welby Pugin had designed two other large Catholic churches in Manchester, St Ann's, Stretford (1863) and All Saints' Church, Urmston (1868). The foundation stone for the Gorton Monastery church was laid in 1866 and it was completed and consecrated in 1872.
The monastery closed for worship in 1989. The building was sold to a property developer, who stripped the monastery of its furnishings and fittings, including mahogany pews, oak doors and sculptures. A pipe organ built by Wadsworth Bros of Manchester was sold for scrap. The property developer subsequently went bankrupt and the scheme to convert the monastery into flats was abandoned. The monastery lay empty and derelict for many years and suffered from vandalism and looting.
In 1997 Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings.
A campaign was begun to save Gorton Monastery, and a charitable trust, the Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust, was set up by Cheshire businesswoman Elaine Griffiths and her husband Paul Griffiths, who had served as an altar boy at the monastery during the 1960s. Following bankruptcy of the property developers, the building was in the hands of receivers. It was bought by campaigners in 1997 for the sum of £1.
The trustees applied for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund to restore the monastery. Their first proposal for an educational and arts centre was rejected as it was considered too uncommercial for Lottery funding. The second scheme, for a hotel and conference and centre, was also turned down as it was too commercial. A new proposal for an events and weddings venue was successful and the requisite funding was secured in 2003. The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme which was completed in June 2007. A separate trading company, The Monastery Manchester Ltd, was set up to operate the premises on a commercial basis as a venue for conferences, business meetings weddings and community events.
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Gorton Monastery
The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a Grade II* listed former Franciscan friary on Gorton Lane in Gorton, an area of Manchester, England. It was designed by the Victorian architect Edward Welby Pugin and built between 1866 and 1872. Gorton Monastery is a noted example of Gothic Revival architecture.
The building ceased to be used for Christian worship in 1989 and fell derelict for many years. Following a restoration programme, it reopened in 2007 and now operates as a secular events venue and as a community and heritage space.
In 1861 the then Bishop of Salford, Herbert Vaughan, invited a Belgian community of Recollects, a branch of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, to come to Manchester and found a new church. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and began work on a new friary. The construction lasted from 1863 to 1867, and most of the building work was done by the friars themselves, with a brother acting as clerk of works.
The noted architect Edward Welby Pugin (1834–1875) was appointed to design the new monastery church. Pugin was the son of the celebrated architect Augustus Pugin, who championed the revival of Gothic as the style of architecture which was the ideal expression of Catholic faith and worship in church buildings. Edward Welby Pugin had designed two other large Catholic churches in Manchester, St Ann's, Stretford (1863) and All Saints' Church, Urmston (1868). The foundation stone for the Gorton Monastery church was laid in 1866 and it was completed and consecrated in 1872.
The monastery closed for worship in 1989. The building was sold to a property developer, who stripped the monastery of its furnishings and fittings, including mahogany pews, oak doors and sculptures. A pipe organ built by Wadsworth Bros of Manchester was sold for scrap. The property developer subsequently went bankrupt and the scheme to convert the monastery into flats was abandoned. The monastery lay empty and derelict for many years and suffered from vandalism and looting.
In 1997 Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings.
A campaign was begun to save Gorton Monastery, and a charitable trust, the Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust, was set up by Cheshire businesswoman Elaine Griffiths and her husband Paul Griffiths, who had served as an altar boy at the monastery during the 1960s. Following bankruptcy of the property developers, the building was in the hands of receivers. It was bought by campaigners in 1997 for the sum of £1.
The trustees applied for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund to restore the monastery. Their first proposal for an educational and arts centre was rejected as it was considered too uncommercial for Lottery funding. The second scheme, for a hotel and conference and centre, was also turned down as it was too commercial. A new proposal for an events and weddings venue was successful and the requisite funding was secured in 2003. The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme which was completed in June 2007. A separate trading company, The Monastery Manchester Ltd, was set up to operate the premises on a commercial basis as a venue for conferences, business meetings weddings and community events.
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