Project

Edward Pugin’s Saint Francis and Gorton Church and Monastery in Gorton, Manchester is recognized as a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. Known locally as Gorton Monastery, the building was designed for a community of Franciscans and built between 1866 and 1872.

Edward Pugin’s Saint Francis and Gorton Church and Monastery in Gorton, Manchester is recognized as a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. Known locally as Gorton Monastery, the building was designed for a community of Franciscans and built between 1866 and 1872.

The church operated for more than 100 years, but as attendance at mass dwindled in the second half of the twentieth century, the church had difficulty maintaining the structure. The closing of the church in 1989 led to inadequate maintenance, resulting in serious deterioration. Vandalism and looting further contributed to the degradation of the building.