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For the electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, see Division of Gorton. For people name Gorton, see Gorton (surname).

Gorton is a district of the City of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. It is located to the south-east of Manchester city centre.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Railways 2 Landmarks 3 Representation 4 20th Century 5 References

A derivation of the name of the township: "About the year 920 a battle took place between the invading Danes and the Saxons, when the former were routed on Winning Hill. The stream running through the township was discoloured with blood, hence the name Gore Brook, from which the town Gore Town (Gorton) is derived." This statement is explicit and definite and apparently fully worthy of credence. "Gore Brook" runs through the township to-day and through the centre of Sunnybrow Park situated between Hengist Street and Knutsford Road.

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

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.

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.

Gorton is home to Gorton Monastery, a Franciscan, 19th century High Victorian Gothic Monastery. Also Brookfield Unitarian Church on Hyde Road. See Brookfield Church Memorabilia

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.

Myra Hindley was born and grew up in Gorton ^[1]. 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 1965.

1. ^ Murder on the Moors: The Ian Brady and Myra Hindley Story - Crime Library

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Other Gorton luminaries include the actor John Thaw, http://johnthaw.topcities.com/earlyyears.html the Manchester United and England football player Nicky Butt, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Butt the painter Michael Gutteridge, and former Monkees lead singer Davy Jones.