Gorton Monastery, Manchester
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 and built 1866–1872. Gorton Monastery is a noted example of Gothic Revival architecture.
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 the 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.
After a restoration programme, it reopened as a secular events venue in 2007.
Olympus 9 mm 1:8.0 Body Cap Lens
Gorton Monastery, Manchester
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 and built 1866–1872. Gorton Monastery is a noted example of Gothic Revival architecture.
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 the 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.
After a restoration programme, it reopened as a secular events venue in 2007.
Olympus 9 mm 1:8.0 Body Cap Lens