The area of Gorton in the east of Manchester was once a crowded area that slowly declined in to a slum area that was eventually razed and rebuilt. Much of the housing stock is still small and terraced as before and now sits alongside a mixture of waste ground and mills long closed and converted into industrial units.
However, arriving or departing by train, one’s eye is drawn to a spectacular building that dominates the area around it, marking Gorton’s location as clear as anything.
This is Gorton monastery.
The building is Grade II listed now and home to a wealth of stories surrounding its sacred geometry. Nowadays it is deconsecrated and houses corporate events, which pay for its upkeep and maintenance.

The monastery was designed by EW Pugin, who has many similar soaring edifices to his name. It was built by friars of the Franciscan Order between…