The Monastery Manchester — Attraction in Manchester

We got married at The Monastery in May 2025. The short version of this review is that it was the best decision we made- the venue is absolutely stunning and the people who work there are so lovely! We had our wedding and reception there for an evening wedding and it was so perfect to have everything all in one beautiful place. The long version is we hadn’t been to the Monastery before we went to view it as a venue. From the day we first visited, we knew it was the place we wanted to get married. We met Chloe on our first visit who was lovely and then once we booked we had Katy to guide us all the way through the process and she was there on the big day. Katy is amazing- so helpful and friendly and always there to answer all of our questions. Even as I was just about to walk down the aisle she was there for support and to help make sure my dress was in place. I asked for a list of suppliers they would recommend which led us to finding some of the most amazing and helpful vendors. It’s such a unique venue with so much history. All of our guests commented on how amazing and beautiful the venue is and we couldn’t agree more. There are so many different spaces within the venue and our wedding pictures look so good in the garden, the great nave and around the outside with the stunning architecture. The food was amazing. The amount of work that must go on behind the scenes for a wedding to run smoothly is mind blowing but everyone was so helpful and efficient they made it seem like a breeze meaning we could just relax and enjoy our day. Everyone who works at The Monastery is just amazing- I have to mention Sarah who helped me get out of my wedding dress for my outfit change after the first dance, going above and beyond. We recommend The Monastery to anyone who is looking for a wedding venue- it was just the most perfect beautiful space for our...

The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a 19th-century former Franciscan friary in Gorton, Manchester, England. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their friary between 1863 and 1867. Most of the building work was done by the friars themselves, with a brother acting as clerk of works. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1866 and completed in 1872; it closed for worship in 1989. It is a prominent example of High Victorian Gothic architecture, and has been listed with Grade II* status since 1963. It was designed by Edward Welby Pugin (1834–1875), whose father, A.W.N. Pugin, promoted the revival of Gothic as the style of architecture which was the ideal expression of Catholic faith and worship in church buildings.

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.

The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme supported by funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund. The project was completed in June 2007 when the restored buildings opened as a venue for conferences, business meetings and community events. The building is also used for a range of concerts.[citation needed]

Construction of a new "Welcome Wing" with facilities for education and the community, along with further restoration on the altars, decorations, and floor tiles, started in February 2016, following from a £1 million donation from Norman Stoller in September 2014, and £2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund in December 2014. The wing, designed by Eco Arc, was built by HH Smith & Sons Ltd on the footprint of a building that was demolished...

"Pugins Masterpiece!".... Having gained inclusion on the World Heritage Site list. This amazing example of Gothic architecture(The Houses of Parliament being designed by Pugins father), this Franciscan Monastery, where I attended the youth club as a teenager, is once again serving at the heart of this community. Father Gerrard would stop in the street and chat, everyone in West Gorton knew him. Mrs Cope my mate Jimmy's mum, who lived across our Close, would scrub the floors at the Monastery In the late 70's/early 80's, she was a devout lady and was dedicated to her task, despite the weather, that included early mornings in the winter cold. The outstanding edifice dominating the landscape, is for me Notre Dame, Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster!, but the heady thing is it's on my doorstep, and I was always able to go in there, as a teenager, I could have, but it was a place of worship for the community, but I didn't either attend that school, or believe particularly in God, which I do now, in the form of Jesus Christ. Enough said go and have a look yourself. Check the website for the future diversity of events, befitting this unique venue, rescued from dereliction and now going from strength to strength. Be assured you won't be...