Gorton Monastery

Gorton Monastery is a modern (relatively… 1872) religious building. It’s built from brick, is of the Catholic faith, and Grade II* listed—if architecture is your interest, you should see it. In 1989 the building was sold to a property developer—what he could not melt he sold to Grand Designs owners—and was then trashed by vandals. A charitable trust, not governmental‐aided support, has rescued or restored the building, and the monastery now earns cash as an events venue. So the bewildering publicity which stresses events alongside the wellbeing benefits of…. errr… sitting in a garden. Practically, unless a special event is on, you can visit the Monastery at the stated times and days. You can walk round to the nave, read the history of the local area, sit in the garden then visit the (popular) cafe. Worth noting: the monastery is very active, even if no events, there are usually plenty of families and kid’s activities about—on some days the Monastery has an atmosphere not unlike a fair. Which is not inappropriate.