Gorton

Coordinates: 53°27′55″N 2°10′21″W / 53.465314°N 2.172491°W / 53.465314; -2.172491

Gorton
Gorton Monastery
Gorton  Gorton shown within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SJ885965
Metropolitan borough	Manchester
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M18
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Manchester Gorton
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Gorton is an area of the city of Manchester, in North West England. It is located to the southeast of Manchester city centre. Neighbouring areas include Longsight and Levenshulme.

A major landmark in Gorton is Gorton Monastery, a Franciscan 19th-century High Victorian Gothic monastery.

History

According to local folklore, Goreton derives its name "Gore Town" due to a battle between the Saxons and Danes nearby.^[1][2] This has been dismissed by historians as "popular fancy".^[3] The name Gorton means "dirty farmstead",^[4] perhaps taking its name from the Gore Brook, or dirty brook, which still runs through the township to-day. The brook may have acquired that name because of the dirty appearance of its water, perhaps caused by discolouration due to peat or iron deposits.^[5]

In medieval times the district was a township of the ancient parish of Manchester in the Salford Hundred of Lancashire.

Manchester City F.C. was founded as St. Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880. The club was formed with the aim of binding the local community and to combat a form of gang warfare called scuttling that existed during the 1870s.^[6][7] The rector's daughter, Anna Connell, is widely credited as the founder, however churchwarden William Beastow is believed to be the person who played the main part in creating sporting activities for the parish. In 1875 St.Mark's Cricket Club are known to have played and this evolved into the football club later in the decade.^[8] The first recorded football game was played in November 1880.^[9]

A Blackfoot Sioux chief named Charging Thunder who was one of the first Pony Express riders in America came to Salford at age 26 as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1903 . Like many Lakota tribesmen, Charging Thunder was an exceptional horseman and performed thrilling stunts in Buffalo Bill's show in front of huge crowds, on the site of what is now the Lowry in Salford Quays. But when the show rolled out of town, he remained in London. He married Josephine, an American horse trainer who had just given birth to their first child, Bessie and together they settled in Darwen, before moving to Gorton. His name was changed to George Edward Williams, after registering with the British immigration authorities to enable him to find work. He died on July 28, 1929 from pneumonia at age 52. Williams was buried in Gorton's cemetery.

Railways

Beyer, Peacock locomotive plate

Gorton railway station opened in 1842. In 1849 a locomotive works was built for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, later the Great Central Railway. It was known locally as the "Gorton Tank". It carried out repairs and major overhauls, producing new boilers and all LNER castings. There was also a carriage and wagon works which had been built in 1881 which carried out light repairs. Both were closed in 1962.^[10] Gorton was also the home of the Beyer-Peacock locomotive Company at Gorton Foundry, from 1854, until it closed in 1966. One of the company's partners, Richard Peacock subsequently became Liberal M.P for Gorton in the 1885 general election.

20th century

Most of the 19th-century Victorian houses around Gorton were demolished during the 1960s, and many people were moved to new overspill housing estates in other parts of the city. However, some people remained in Gorton and were placed in new council houses and flats.

Myra Hindley grew up in Gorton.^[11] She and Ian Brady lived there at the time of the first three Moors murders, before moving to Hattersley where they committed two further murders and were arrested in October 1965. Their first victim, Pauline Reade (who died in July 1963 aged 16, but whose body was not found for 24 years), was a Gorton resident^[12] as was fourth victim, Keith Bennett; last seen alive on 16 June 1964 aged 12. His body has yet to be found.^[13]

Social problems in Gorton

In 2006 the Motor Insurers' Bureau named West Gorton as the worst place in the UK for uninsured cars, with over six times the national average of drivers living there having no cover.^[14] However the MIB press release of 24 September 2009 stated that Barkerend in Bradford was then the worst place for uninsured drivers with Manchester the second worst city (Liverpool being the worst). The MIB do not reveal checkable details of the methods used to calculate the figures. source www.mib.org.uk

More recently some parts of Gorton have suffered from serious deprivation, which has resulted in high crime levels and burglary. The first four series of popular television series Shameless, which is shown on Channel 4 was mainly filmed in West Gorton. The parade of shops used for filming in the initial series was built on the site of St. Mark's Church, Clowes Street – the birthplace of Manchester City F.C.^[15]

Governance

The municipal borough of Manchester was created in 1838 and elevated to a city in 1853. Part of Gorton township was included in the city in 1890. The remaining part of the township became an Urban District of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1894. A small part of the urban district was transferred to the city of Manchester in 1901 and the remaining area was fully incorporated into Manchester in 1909.

Gorton forms part of the Manchester Gorton parliamentary constituency. The current MP is the Rt Hon Sir Gerald Kaufman. Gorton is split into two electoral wards – Gorton North and Gorton South.

Geography

Belle Vue is a locality within Gorton. West Gorton was included in the City of Manchester in 1890, whereas the remainder of Gorton was included only in 1909, thanks largely to the work of councillor Joseph Henry Williamson, then Chairman of Gorton Urban District Council.

Landmarks

Gorton is home to Gorton Monastery, a Franciscan, 19th-century High Victorian Gothic Monastery. In recent years this has been renovated and has been secularised: it was previously derelict after the friars moved out. The parish left by the Friars came under the care of the Diocese of Salford. St Francis of Assisi RC Church on Textile Street, Gorton and Sacred Heart Church, Levenshulme Road, Gorton now form part of the RC Parish of Sacred Heart and St. Francis see www.catholicgorton.co.uk Also in Gorton is the Brookfield Unitarian Church on Hyde Road, built by Richard Peacock: see "Brookfield Church Memorabilia". http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk. 

In 2006, Manchester City Council started a multi-million-pound redevelopment of the Gorton District Shopping Centre. The small market and retail area was demolished and work started in late 2007 to construct a brand new market hall and a new Tesco Extra hypermarket on this site. In July 2008, the new Manchester Gorton Market Hall was opened to the public. The construction of the new hypermarket and neighbouring petrol station continued, and in late October 2008 the new Tesco Extra store opened its doors for trading on 27 October 2008. Further retail outlets are to be developed near this site along Hyde Road, such as a Subway sandwich shop and Coral bookmarkers which opened next to the Tesco Extra in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Gorton is also home to the Greater Manchester Police, Tactical Firearms Unit based at Openshaw Police Station.

Performing arts and sport

The Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1854 and is an amateur orchestra.^[16] The folk comedy group Gorton Tank were based in Gorton and were popular in the Manchester area. The actor John Thaw, who is perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Morse, was born in West Gorton.^[17] The painter Michael Gutteridge was also born in Gorton. The Gorton Morris Men were responsible for reviving the rushcart ceremony in Gorton.^[18]

Manchester City F.C. were founded as St. Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880 and many of their footballers, such as Billy Meredith and Tommy Johnson lived in the area.^[19] Meredith was married at St. Mark's Church and lived on Clowes Street itself for a while. The much less notable Abbey Hey F.C. club is in Gorton; Gorton is the birthplace of former England and Manchester United footballer, Nicky Butt. "Bouncing Billy Barker" was a local man who specialised in jumping feats.^[20] The former England and Lancashire cricketer's Bob Berry and Brian Statham were both born in Gorton. Gorton has also been the birthplace of three Olympians, Jeff Williams a cyclist who went to the 1980 Olympics, Thomas Evenson (athletics, silver medallist in the 3000 metres steeplechase at Los Angeles in 1932) and George Wilkinson a former water polo three time Olympic champion.^[21]

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• GENUKI information for Gorton