Gorton Monastery

Church and Friary of St Francis
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic (Franciscan)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Friary
Status	Secular events venue
Location
Location	Gorton, Manchester, England
Shown within Greater Manchester
Geographic coordinates	53°28′5.9″N 2°11′15.0″W
Architecture
Style	High Victorian Gothic architecture
Completed	1872
Website
www.themonastery.co.uk

The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a Grade II* listed former Franciscan friary in Gorton, Manchester, England. It was designed by the noted Victorian architect Edward Welby Pugin amd built 1866-1872. 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. After a restoration programme, it reopened as a secular events venue in 2007.

History

The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their friary between 1863 and 1867. Most of the building work was done by the friars themselves, with a brother acting as clerk of works. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1866 and completed in 1872; it closed for worship in 1989. The monastery church was designed by Edward Welby Pugin (1834–1875), whose father, A.W.N. Pugin, promoted the revival of Gothic as the style of architecture which was the ideal expression of Catholic faith and worship in church buildings.

Architecture

Edward Welby Pugin's monastery church is a tall and imposing red and blue brick building designed in the late 13-century Gothic style with sandstone dressing. It consists of a large north-south-aligned nave with east and west aisles. At the north end behind the chancel is a polygonal apse. The nave is lined by buttresses which form 13 narrow bays, each pierced by lancet windows. The south front facing the main street is elaborately decorated with Gothic features with strong vertical emphasis. Three full-heigfht flying buttresses are surmounted by canopied statues and a large central sculted crucifix. The pinnacle of the south front is an ornate bellcote topped with a small spire. Between the buttresses are two high lancet windows with elaborate stone tracery, flanked by rose windows. At ground level is a narthex with four Gothic arches, leading to two central arched doorways.

To the east of the church is a cloister and the monastery building, a plain, three-storey brick building with sashed windows, chimneys and a bellcote.

In 1963, Gorton Monastery was designated a Grade II* listed building.

Modern developments

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.

The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme supported by funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund. The project was completed in June 2007 when the restored buildings opened as a venue for conferences, business meetings and community events. The building is also used for a range of concerts.

Construction of a new "Welcome Wing" with facilities for education and the community, along with further restoration on the altars, decorations, and floor tiles, started in February 2016, following from a £1 million donation from Norman Stoller in September 2014, and £2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund in December 2014. The wing, designed by Eco Arc, was built by HH Smith & Sons Ltd on the footprint of a building that was demolished in the 1960s.

Interior

• 
  Interior
• 
  Statues

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Manchester-M18
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of monastic houses in Greater Manchester
• List of monastic houses in England

References

Sources

• Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Pevsner, Sir Nikolaus (1 January 2004). Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East. Yale University Press. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-300-10583-4. Retrieved 2 October 2021. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• www.themonastery.co.uk
• Parliament.uk: Supplementary memorandum submitted by Sotheby's, on the 12 figures of saints, May 2000