Press Releases

December 12 2005

Terry and Joan Celebrate as Monastery’s £6 million Restoration Begins

After almost a decade of campaigning and fund raising, the Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust’s prayers are finally answered with the appointment of a specialist heritage contractor to carry out the £6 million restoration of Gorton Monastery in Gorton, East Manchester.

Terry Waite and Joan Bakewell today (Friday 9 December, 2005) joined other patrons of Gorton Monastery at the new Angels Community Centre to celebrate the start of the work, which is funded by major grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Fund, English Heritage and the Architectural Heritage Fund.

Elaine Griffiths, Project Director for The Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust said: “This is a magnificent milestone in the re-birth of the Monastery. This beautiful building was arguably the finest church in Manchester and it’s a dream come true to see it being restored to its former glory. We have been tirelessly working to secure the finances for nearly ten years so it’s wonderful that, thanks to our funders, the money is now in place and work can start. However, we still have a further million pounds to find so that we can reinstate the altars and works of art.”

Edward Pugin, one of the leading architects of the day, was commissioned to design and build the imposing church and friary by Franciscan monks in 1863.  When the Franciscans left the site in 1989, the building was handed over to the care of the Trust. The Trust plans to turn the building into a unique conference centre and work is due to be completed by the end of 2006.