The Church and Friary of St Francis at Gorton, Manchester, designed by Edward Pugin, were completed in 1872 and from early days were known as Gorton Monastery. The Church is recognised as one of the finest examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture in the UK, reflected in its Grade II* listing.
It is a “church of cathedral-like proportions” and has one of the highest ecclesiastical roof spaces of a parish church in England. Built by voluntary contributions and labour, it was one of the first churches to be completed by the Franciscans in England after the Reformation and for over 100 years was a hub of Franciscan mission and community witness. The regeneration of the Monastery has offered a beacon of hope to many, both through the Trust’s community activity and the restoration of the heritage assets.
How has the WMF Watch helped:
”The Monastery is situated in Gorton, a suburb of Manchester which faces multi-layered social exclusion – it is in the top 5% of deprived neighbourhoods in Europe – and following the departure of the Franciscans and the collapse of the local economy, the future for the magnificent buildings looked bleak. Inclusion in the WMF’s list of sites earned the Monastery the title of the “Taj Mahal of Manchester” and enabled the Trust to construct a package of funding with a number of partners to complete the first phase of conservation of the former church and friary and bring them back into economic and cultural use. The Trust is currently embarking on a further fundraising project to realise the “missing £1m” to complete conservation of the former sanctuary area, Lady Altar and other areas of the Church.”
Elaine Griffiths MBE Read more
About the project
The complex project to save the Monastery and Friary was completed on time and on budget. In total, 300 people took 609 days to conserve the structures, and 100 miles of scaffolding tubes were erected, enough to stretch end to end from the Monastery to Hadrian’s Wall. Among the building materials used were 15,000 slate tiles, 125 tonnes of lime mortar and plaster, 400 stained and leaded panes of glass, and 20,000 reclaimed bricks.
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For Gorton Monastery to be included amongst some of the world’s greatest architectural landmarks underlined the importance of the church and friary to Manchester, the North West and the UK as a whole. Recognition as an endangered site by the World Monuments Fund fully vindicated the efforts that were made by so many people to safeguard the Monastery’s future and the designation provided a welcome boost to all the efforts.
Cultural and heritage sites are hugely important to society and community cohesion: they give sense of place and a common identity in a diverse world. The World Monuments Fund, in drawing up a list of those gems at the threat of loss, does an enormous service to our common humanity in alerting us to potential loss.
Elaine Griffiths MBE, Chief Executive of the Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust
Links
To find out more about Gorton Monastery visit http://www.gortonmonastery.co.uk
How to apply for Watch listing
For further information on the 2010 Watch List or to discuss your site for 2010 nomination, please contact us at WMF Britain.
World Monuments Watch
To view the current Watch List and to learn more about its impact worldwide, visit www.worldmonumentswatch.org
Watch Listing: 1998, 2000
Threats
- Important vacant and vandalised heritage asset in danger of permanent loss
- Continued ravages of weather put buildings at further risk of decay
- Delay in commencing restoration project while funding put in place added significantly to project costs
- Potential for demolition if long-term sustainable use for former Church not found
- Challenges of meeting funding requirements and partnership funding
Viability
- At outset, many said the project was not viable
- Through the conservation work, proved that heritage can inspire and lead regeneration: the “heritage dynamo”
- Directly led to the establishment of two social enterprise companies
- Has safeguarded four existing jobs and created 12 new jobs for local people
- Has a robust business plan in place approved by steering group of external funders and partners
