Using Manchester Heritage to Nurture Well-being | Dr. Caroline Paige
A 5-minute read.
Heritage and well-being at Manchester Monastery
A story of community action to rescue and restore an endangered heritage site. The legacy of the community that built it is now conserved for future generations. The continuing legacy of The Monastery is to nurture well-being. They do this by providing a sanctuary for the people of Manchester and beyond.
Heritage projects can make a big contribution to the way people feel about their lives. Combined with a strategic mission to improve well-being, they can be a powerful force for good.
First, we’ll consider what we mean by ‘heritage’.
What is heritage?
Our heritage is what the past has given us. It’s our inheritance. It’s what we value and choose to preserve for the future.
This heritage is many different things. It can be historic sites, buildings, or objects. It can also mean the less tangible (like crafts, sports, music, folklore and knowledge). Heritage also encompasses the natural world. Think of everything that forms the natural world. It can be great landscapes and coastlines or city parks (and the creatures that live in them).
“Our tangible, intangible and natural heritage and all the associated myths, legends, traditions, and memories provide us with a common language and insight that enables us to communicate on a deep level with each other and to express ourselves in a unique way to the outside world.” The Heritage Council for Ireland
How does heritage affect our lives?
Heritage helps us understand our past and how we got to where we are today. It helps us to look at our history and traditions, so we can develop our awareness of ourselves.
This reflection on our past enables us to shape our identity and values. Looking at our past helps us understand our present. This can inform what we value and wish to preserve – a sense of identity.
What is community heritage?
Community heritage describes groups of people who work to preserve their local heritage. This heritage can be both tangible and intangible. Tangible heritage is something that you can see and visit, like a building or a park. Intangible heritage is something that you can’t see and keep in the same way but can experience – like language.
Volunteers spend many hours working to keep their cultural heritage sustainable and accessible. This work can promote feelings of connectedness and belonging. A fact recognised by the National Lottery, which funds community heritage projects.
Next, we’ll look at The Monastery as a heritage site.
Legacy and heritage at Manchester Monastery
The Monastery is a friary. Monks live in a monastery and friars live in a friary. Locals called it a monastery and the name stuck.
Built in Victorian Manchester, the Church of Friary of St Francis is a great example of High Victorian Gothic architecture. Designed by Edward Welby Pugin it’s an architectural masterpiece. It also embodies the civic pride of the community that built it. The people of Gorton laboured to build the church and its associated buildings. They worked at weekends and after long shifts in their paid employment. Even children helped by making bricks.
It was the centre of the catholic community. The site housed several schools that educated generations of children. Gorton Lane bustled with people visiting the church and its schools for almost a century.
Declining church attendance from the 1970s meant less money given to church collections. Financial problems worsened when local engineering works closed. All this happened during years of high national unemployment. Finally, the wholescale demolition of streets of terraced housing removed the community. Streets upon streets of houses, that once surrounded the church, gone. Their inhabitants rehoused throughout Greater Manchester. The loss of community meant the church was not sustainable and its doors closed.
Years of neglect followed. Stripped of assets, vandalised, and left to decay. The derelict buildings were a sad reminder of a past heyday. They now represented a community fragmented and overlooked.
Community action overcame this. A strong community was still present, both in Gorton and further afield. Their resilience proved in the rescue and restoration of their cultural heritage.
Community heritage at Manchester Monastery
In 1996, former altar boy Paul Griffiths and his wife Elaine led a team of local volunteers. Their campaign was to try to save this Manchester landmark. They formed a charitable trust and began fundraising.
“It became a labour of love for all concerned and they held a strong vision that the Monastery could once again become a sanctuary, but this time it would bring people together and be for everyone from all faiths, backgrounds, beliefs and traditions. We believed that the Monastery could have an important spiritual role to play in our secular and fast changing world, serving the multi-cultural City of Manchester and beyond.” Elaine Griffiths, CEO, Manchester Monastery
It took over a decade of dedicated campaigning and fundraising to raise the funds to restore the monastery. This important part of Manchester history reopened to the public as a community, cultural and commercial venue in 2007. It wasn’t easy and they succeeded against all odds.
The Monastery has over 30 awards. Some are for its heritage and conservation achievements. Some for its charitable work. And some for its success as a unique venue for hire.
Heritage, health, and well-being at The Monastery
An exemplar of community heritage it makes its own income to preserve the site by operating as a venue. Surplus profits support the Trust’s charitable work. Now in its 25th year, the Trust has its original founders and many of the original team of volunteers.
Covid-19 meant the Monastery closed for over a year. Thanks to Heritage Emergency and Cultural Recovery Grants it has survived and adapted.
Revenue from special events allowed the careful restoration and conservation of the building. They saved it for future generations. The Monastery can now refocus on its heritage and charitable role. Helping the Manchester community whilst rebuilding its essential income from weddings and events.
Making heritage relevant
Local heritage can play an important role in community development. But using it to create a sense of identity means more than just conserving.
“Its relevance needs to be communicated in the present so that it may continue into the future.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 2013
Relevance here is the role of community heritage in promoting health and well-being.
Setting up a centre for well-being
The Charitable Trust wanted to improve health and well-being within Greater Manchester. The Sanctuary of Peace and Healing is run by Dr Jeannine Goh and Charmain Berry. It seeks to provide the people of Manchester with a safe, warm and inviting space to share and be heard.
“We understand that being heard is fundamental to our well-being. It allows us to process our pain and remember who we truly are.” Dr Jeannine Goh
How it will help health and well-being in Manchester
The Sanctuary of Peace and Healing’s key initiatives are:
- To destigmatise mental distress with a focus on compassionate health
- A listening service and educational courses which centre on self-knowledge and self-empowerment
- Pioneering and creative approaches to positive health choices and social and creative events.
We want visitors to feel confident and enjoy taking personal responsibility for their health.
The Listening Service offers free counselling. They train volunteer listeners in effective listening. This training can count towards an accredited certificate in counselling.
Manchester Monastery also provides a quiet place for you to escape from the hustle, bustle and strain of daily life. Entry is free Sunday to Thursday and there’s a one-hour silence every day at noon. A wonderful tonic for the brain, soul, and self.