Stretford
Encyclopedia
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
, in Greater Manchester
, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey
and the Manchester Ship Canal
, it is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the southwest of Manchester city centre
, 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southwest of Salford and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) northeast of Altrincham
. Stretford is contiguous with the suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy
to the east, and the towns of Urmston
to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale
to the south. The Bridgewater Canal
bisects the town.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, during much of the 19th century Stretford was an agricultural village known locally as Porkhampton, a reference to the large number of pigs produced for the nearby Manchester market. It was also an extensive market gardening area, producing more than 500 LT of vegetables each week for sale in Manchester by 1845. The arrival of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park Industrial Estate
in the north of the town, accelerated the industrialisation that had begun in the late 19th century. By 2001, less than 1% of Stretford's population was employed in agriculture.
Stretford has been the home of Manchester United Football Club
since 1910, and of Lancashire County Cricket Club
since 1864. Notable residents have included the industrialist, philanthropist, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire John Rylands
, the suffragette
Emmeline Pankhurst
, the painter L. S. Lowry
, Morrissey
of The Smiths
and Jay Kay of Jamiroquai
.
" (Old English stræt) on a ford across the River Mersey
. The principal road through Stretford, the A56 Chester Road
, follows the line of the old Roman road
from Deva Victrix
(Chester
) to Mancunium
(Manchester
), crossing the Mersey into Stretford at Crossford Bridge, built at the location of the ancient ford.
The earliest evidence of human occupation around Stretford comes from Neolithic
stone axes found in the area, dating from about 2000 BC. Stretford was part of the land occupied by the Celtic Brigantes
tribe before and during the Roman occupation, and lay on their border with the Cornovii on the southern side of the Mersey. By 1212, there were two manors
in the area now called Stretford. The land in the south, close to the River Mersey, was held by Hamon de Mascy
, while the land in the north, closer to the River Irwell
, was held by Henry de Trafford. In about 1250, a later Hamon de Mascy gave the Stretford manor to his daughter, Margery. She in turn, in about 1260, granted Stretford to Richard de Trafford at a rent of one penny. The de Mascy family shortly afterwards released all rights to their lands in Stretford to Henry de Trafford, the Trafford family thus acquiring the whole of Stretford, since when the two manors descended together.
The de Trafford family leased out large parts of the land, much of it to tenants who farmed at subsistence levels. Although there is known to have been a papermill operating in 1765, the area remained largely rural until the early 20th-century development of Trafford Park
in the Old Trafford district north of the town. Until then Stretford "remained in the background of daily life in England", except for a brief cameo role during the Jacobite
rebellion of 1745, when Crossford Bridge was destroyed to prevent a crossing by Bonnie Prince Charlie
's army during its abortive advance on London; the bridge was quickly rebuilt.
Until the 1820s one of Stretford's main cottage industries was the hand-weaving of cotton. There were reported at one time to have been 302 handlooms operating in Stretford, providing employment for 780 workers, but by 1826 only four were still in use, as the mechanised cotton mills of nearby Manchester replaced handlooms. As Manchester continued to grow, it offered a good and easily accessible market for Stretford's agricultural products, in particular rhubarb
, once known locally as Stretford beef. By 1836 market gardening
had become so extensive around Stretford that one writer described it as the "garden of Lancashire"; in 1845 more than 500 tons of vegetables were being produced for the Manchester market each week. Stretford also became well known for its pig market and the production of black puddings, leading to the village being given the nickname of Porkhampton. A local dish, known as Stretford goose, was made from pork stuffed with sage and onions. During the 1830s, between 800 and 1,000 pigs a week were being slaughtered for the Manchester market.
Situated on the border with Manchester, Stretford became a fashionable place to live in the mid-19th century. Large recreation areas were established, such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, opened in 1831. The gardens were sited in Old Trafford on the advice of scientist John Dalton
, because the prevailing southwesterly wind kept the area clear of the city's airborne pollution. In 1857, the gardens hosted the Art Treasures Exhibition, the largest art exhibition ever held in the United Kingdom. A purpose-built iron and glass building was constructed at a cost of £38,000 to house the 16,000 exhibits. The gardens were also chosen as a site for the Royal Jubilee Exhibition
of 1887, celebrating Queen Victoria's 50-year reign. The exhibition ran for more than six months and was attended by more than 4.75 million visitors. The gardens were converted into an entertainment resort in 1907, and hosted the first speedway meeting in Greater Manchester on 16 June 1928. There was also greyhound racing from 1930, and an athletics track. The complex was demolished in the late 1980s, and all that remains is the entrance gates, close to what is now the White City Retail Park. The gates were designated a Grade II listed structure in 1987.
in 1894, and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park
industrial estate in the north of the town – the first planned industrial estate in the world – had a substantial effect on Stretford's growth. The population in 1891 was 21,751, but by 1901 it had increased by 40% to 30,436 as people were drawn to the town by the promise of work in the new industries at Trafford Park.
During the Second World War Trafford Park was largely turned over to the production of matériel
, including the Avro Manchester
heavy bomber, and the Rolls-Royce Merlin
engines used to power both the Spitfire
and the Lancaster
. That resulted in Stretford being the target for heavy bombing, particularly during the Manchester Blitz
of 1940. On the nights of 22/23 and 23/24 December 1940 alone, 124 incendiaries and 120 high-explosive bombs fell on the town, killing 73 people and injuring many more. Among the buildings damaged or destroyed during the war were Manchester United
's Old Trafford football ground, All Saints' Church, St Hilda's Church, and the children's library in King Street. Smoke generators were set up in the north of the town close to Trafford Park in an effort to hide it from enemy aircraft, and 11,900 children were evacuated to safer areas in Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, along with their teachers and supervisors. A memorial to those residents who lost their lives in the bombing was erected in Stretford Cemetery in 1948, over the communal grave of the 17 unidentified people who were killed in the blitz of December 1940.
Between 1972 and 1975, what is now the B&Q
store in Great Stone Road was the 3,000-capacity Hardrock Theatre and Village Discothèque, hosting some of that period's major artists in their prime. Led Zeppelin
, David Bowie
, Bob Marley
, Elton John
, Hawkwind
, Yes
, Chaka Khan
, Curved Air
and Lou Reed
were amongst those who appeared. Tangerine Dream
was the last band to perform at the Hardrock, on 19 October 1975. In more recent years, Lancashire Cricket Club's Old Trafford ground, next door, has provided a concert venue for bands such as Oasis
, Angels & Airwaves
, Foo Fighters
, and the Strokes
, with audiences in excess of 40,000.
Because Stretford is situated on the main A56 road
between Chester
and Manchester many travellers passed through the village, and as this traffic increased, more inns were built to provide travellers with stopping places. One of the earliest forms of public transport through Stretford was the stagecoach
; the Angel Hotel, on the present day site of the Bass Drum public house, was one of the main stopping places for stagecoaches in Stretford and the Trafford Arms was another. The stagecoach service through Stretford is believed to have ended some time in the 1840s, about the time that horse-drawn omnibuses arrived, in 1845. The Manchester Carriage Company
's tramway from Manchester to Stretford was built in 1879, terminating at the Old Cock Hotel on the A56 road, next to which a small depot was built to house the cars and horses. A 1900 timetable shows that trams left for Manchester every 10 minutes between 8:00 am and 10:15 pm. The horse-drawn trams were replaced with electric trams in 1902, and after the Second World War the trams were replaced by buses.
The MSJAR railway line through Stretford was electrified in 1931, and was converted to light rail operation in 1992, when it became part of the Manchester Metrolink
tram network. The first Metrolink tram through Stretford ran on 15 June 1992.
Stretford was part of the ancient parish of Manchester
, within the historic county boundaries
of Lancashire
. Following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, a national scheme for dealing with the relief of the poor, Stretford joined the Chorlton Poor Law Union in 1837, one of three such unions in Manchester, before transferring to the Barton-upon-Irwell
Poor Law Union in 1849. In 1867, Stretford Local Board of Health was established, assuming responsibility for the local government of the area in 1868. The board's responsibilities included sanitation and the maintenance of the highways, and it had the authority to levy rates
to pay for those services. The local board continued in that role until it was superseded by the creation of Stretford Urban District Council in 1894, as a result of the Local Government Act 1894
.
Stretford Urban District became the Municipal Borough of Stretford
in 1933, giving it borough status in the United Kingdom
. Stretford Borough Council was granted its arms
on 20 February 1933. The roses are the red roses of Lancashire, and the lion in the centre represents John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
. Above the lion are a crossed flail and scythe; the flail comes from the arms of the de Trafford family; the scythe is a reminder of the agricultural history of the area; the thunderbolts above represent the importance of electricity in Stretford's industrial development. The boat at the bottom represents Stretford's links to the sea via the Manchester Ship Canal.
In 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972
, the Municipal Borough of Stretford was abolished and Stretford has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
, in Greater Manchester
. Trafford Town Hall – previously Stretford Town Hall – is the administrative centre of Trafford.
was created in 1885, and existed until 1997, when it was replaced by the present constituency of Stretford and Urmston. Kate Green
, a member of the Labour Party
, became the MP
at the 2010 General Election, with a majority of 8,935, representing 48.6 percent of the vote. The Conservatives
took 28.7 percent of the vote, the Liberal Democrats
16.9 percent, the United Kingdom Independence Party
3.4 percent, the Green Party
2.0 percent, and the Christian Party 0.4 percent.
Stretford is one of the four major urban areas in Trafford; the other three are Altrincham
, Sale
and Urmston
. The area historically known as Stretford, between the River Irwell in the north and the River Mersey in the south, has since 2004 been divided between the Trafford local government wards of Clifford, Longford, Gorse Hill, and Stretford. Each ward is represented by three local councillors, giving Stretford 12 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council. The wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle
. As at 2010, all 12 of the councillors representing the Stretford area are members of the Labour Party.
, at 53°26′48"N 2°18′31"W (53.4466, –2.3086). The area is generally flat, sloping slightly southwards towards the river valley, and is approximately 150 feet (46 m) above sea level at its highest point. The most southerly part of Stretford lies within the flood plain of the River Mersey, and so has historically been prone to flooding. A great deal of flood mitigation work has been carried out in the Mersey Valley since the 1970s, with the stretch of the Mersey through Stretford canalised to speed up the passage of floodwater. Emergency floodbasins have also been constructed, Sale Water Park
being a prominent local example, lying immediately to the south of Stretford.
Stretford comprises the local areas of Old Trafford, Gorse Hill, Trafford Park
and Firswood
. Its climate is generally temperate
, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.
Stretford's built environment developed along the A56 road in two separate sections, corresponding to the original two manors. The area in the south, near to the border with Sale, grew around the church of St Matthew – an old alternative name for the town was Stretford St. Matthew. The northern part of Stretford was centred on Old Trafford, with undeveloped countryside separating the two areas. During the 19th century, both sections merged together.
The western terminus of the early medieval linear earthwork Nico Ditch
is in Hough Moss, just to the east of Stretford ; it was probably used as an administrative boundary and dates from the 8th or 9th century.
As at the 2001 UK census
, the Stretford area wards of Clifford, Longford, Talbot and Stretford had a total population of 37,455, •
•
• and a population density of 9,158 persons per square mile (3,537 per km²). •
•
•
Stretford residents had an average age of 36.7 years, younger than the 38.9 Trafford average. •
•
• For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. Of all residents, 52% were single (never married): in Trafford, 44% were single. •
•
• Of the 16,078 households, 37% were one-person households, 14% were married couples with dependent children, and 9% were lone parents with dependent children. •
•
• Of those aged 16–74 in Stretford, 33% had no academic qualifications, higher than the 25% in all of Trafford. •
•
•
With 83% of residents born in the United Kingdom, there is a relatively high proportion of foreign-born residents reported. There is also a high proportion of non-white people, as 73% of residents were recorded as white. The largest minority group was Asian
, at 15% of the population. •
•
•
In June 2004, Trafford adopted a revised set of ward boundaries, and the ward of Talbot was replaced by the new ward of Gorse Hill. Re-aligning the 2001 census figures with the 2004 ward boundaries gives Stretford a population of 42,121. •
•
•
In 1931, 18.7% of Stretford's population was middle class
and 19.7% working class
compared to 14% middle class and 36% working class nationally. The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers. By 1971, the middle class in Stretford had declined steadily to 14.9% whilst the working class had grown to 31.3% compared to 24% middle class and 26% working class nationally. Stretford has gone against the national trend of a shrinking working class and a growing middle class.
Until the end of the 19th century Stretford was a largely agricultural village. The development of the Trafford Park
industrial estate in the north of the town, beginning in the late 19th century, had a significant effect on Stretford's subsequent development. At its peak, in 1945, the park employed an estimated 75,000 workers; housing and other amenities had to be constructed on what had previously been agricultural land. Trafford Park is still a very significant source of employment, containing an estimated 1,400 companies and employing about 44,000 people. As at the 2001 UK census, 0.3% of Stretford's working population was employed in agriculture. •
•
•
The main shopping centre is Stretford Mall in the commercial centre
of Stretford, previously known as Stretford Arndale. It was opened in 1969 and changed its name in 2003. Stretford Mall was built on the site of the original shopping centre in the former King Street. The Trafford Centre, a large shopping and leisure complex opened in September 1998, lies to the northwest of Stretford. Frequent shuttle buses run between Stretford Metrolink
tram station and The Trafford Centre, about 2.5 miles (4 km) away.
According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Stretford was 18% retail and wholesale, 14% property and business services, 13% manufacturing, 12% health and social work, 8% education, 8% transport and communications, 6% construction, 5% finance, 5% public administration and defence, 5% hotels and restaurants, 0.7% energy and water supply, 0.3% agriculture and 5% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the town's relatively low percentage of agricultural workers. Many people commute
into Stretford; as of the 2001 census, there were 23,595 jobs within the town, compared with the town's 13,399 employed residents. •
•
•
The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74 as 38.8% in full-time employment, 11.1% in part-time employment, 5.6% self-employed, 4.5% unemployed, 2.9% students with jobs, 5.5% students without jobs, 12.2% retired, 7.0% looking after home or family, 7.7% permanently sick or disabled, and 4.7% economically inactive for other reasons. The 4.5% unemployment rate in Stretford was high compared with the national rate of 3.3%. According to the Office for National Statistics
estimates, between April 2001 and March 2002 the average gross income of households in Stretford was £415 per week (£21,664 per year). •
•
•
Longford Cinema, opposite Stretford Mall, on the eastern side of the A56 Chester Road
, is perhaps the most visually striking building in the town. Designed by the architect Henry Elder, it was the height of Art Deco
fashion when it was opened by the Mayor of Stretford in 1936. Its unusual "cash register" frontage was intended to symbolise the business aspect of show business.
The building incorporated many modern features, such as sound-proofing and under-seat heating, and it was also the first cinema in Britain to make use of concealed neon lighting. It had a seating capacity of 1,400 in the stalls and 600 in the circle, with a further 146 seats in the café area. When built, the cinema had a short pedestrian approach to the facade, but this was removed when the A56 was widened. During the Second World War the building was used for concerts, including one given by a young Julie Andrews
. It also played host to the Hallé Orchestra after the orchestra's own home, the Free Trade Hall
, was bombed and severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz
of 1940.
After a change of ownership in 1950, the cinema was renamed the Stretford Essoldo. It continued to operate as a cinema until 1965, when it was converted into a bingo hall, which it remained until its closure in 1995. The building has been unused since then. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1994.
The Great Stone, which gave its name to the Great Stone Road, where it was located until being moved in 1925, is one of Stretford's most easily overlooked landmarks. The stone is composed of millstone grit
and was probably deposited as a glacial erratic
. It is rectangular in shape, about wide, deep, and tall, with two 7 inches (17.8 cm) deep rectangular slots cut into its upper surface.
Several suggestions have been made for the history of the Great Stone. There was a succession of plagues in Manchester from the 14th century onwards, and during the Great Plague of 1655–6 the holes in the top of the stone were filled with vinegar or holy water, through which coins were passed in the belief that would halt the spread of the disease. But the holes are probably too deep for that to have been the stone's original purpose. It may have been a marker on the Roman road between Northwich
and Manchester, or some kind of boundary marker. The Great Stone is also thought to have been the base of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft. A local legend had it that the stone was slowly sinking into the earth, and that its final disappearance would mark the end of the world.
When the Great Stone Road was widened in the late 19th century, the stone was moved back from the road slightly. In 1925, the stone was moved again, to its current location outside the North Lodge of Gorse Hill Park, about 328 feet (100 m) from its historical location. The stone is a Grade II listed structure.
Stretford Cenotaph, opposite the Chester Road entrance to Gorse Hill Park, was built as a memorial to the 580 Stretford men who lost their lives in the First World War. Their names and regiments are listed on a large bronze plaque on the wall behind the cenotaph. It was formally unveiled in 1923, by the Earl of Derby
, Secretary of State for War.
The cenotaph is 24 feet (7 m) high and 11 feet (3 m) wide at its base. It cost £2,000 to build, raised by public subscription and a donation from the Stretford Red Cross. The memorial bears the legend "They died that we might live" on one side, and "In memory of the heroic dead" on the other. It is a Grade II listed structure.
, bowling greens, children's play areas, and an athletics stadium, and is the finishing point of the annual Stretford Pageant. As the Manchester–Stretford boundary runs across the park, part of it is in Chorlton-cum-Hardy
.
Longford Park was the home of John Rylands
, industrialist, philanthropist, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire, from 1855 until his death in 1888 and of his widow Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
until her death in 1908. The house Rylands constructed in the park in 1857, Longford Hall, was demolished in 1995. It replaced an earlier house of the same name that had been the residence of Thomas Walker (died 1817) and subsequently of his sons Thomas (died 1836) and Charles. Today only the front porch, coach house, and the stable buildings remain. The estate and hall were sold to Stretford Council in 1911 after a poll of ratepayers, and the park was opened to the public the following year.
Stretford Public Hall was built in 1878 by John Rylands. It was designed by N. Lofthouse and is on the western side of the A56 Chester Road, opposite the Longford Cinema. Stretford's first public lending library was established in the building in 1883. On the death of Rylands in 1888, his widow placed the building at the disposal of the local authority for a nominal rent, and on her own death in 1908, the building was bought by Stretford Council for £5,000.
Public baths were built to the rear of the building, accessed via Cyprus Street. In 1940 the new Stretford Library was opened on King Street, and the public hall was rendered surplus. The building re-opened in March 1949 as the Stretford Civic Theatre, with a well- equipped stage for the use of local groups. After the Stretford Leisure Centre opened in 1977, the Cyprus Street Baths wing fell into disuse, and was demolished. The remainder of the building began to fall into disrepair, despite being designated a Grade II listed structure in 1987, until Trafford Council refurbished and converted the hall to serve as council offices in the mid-1990s. It was re-opened in 1997, once again named Stretford Public Hall.
of Bolton and the contractors were Edwin Marshall & Sons. Building work began 21 August 1931.
The building officially came into use as Stretford Town Hall on the granting of Stretford's charter, on 16 September 1933. In 1974, on the formation of the new Trafford Metropolitan Borough, Stretford Town Hall was adopted as the base for the new council, and was renamed Trafford Town Hall. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 2007.
Stretford Metrolink station
is part of the Manchester Metrolink
tram system, and lies on the Altrincham
to Bury
line. Trams leave about every six minutes between 7:15 and 18:30, and every 12 minutes at other times of the day. The nearest main line railway station is Trafford Park
, on the Liverpool to Manchester line. Services are roughly every two hours in each direction, with extra services calling during the peak-hours. The Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal, opened in 1993, is in the Gorse Hill area of Stretford. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year. The containers are handled by two huge gantry cranes, the noise from which has led to complaints from some local residents.
The town has good access to the motorway network; junction 7 of the M60
is just to the north of Stretford's boundary with Sale
. The A56 road
gives easy access to the south as well as to Manchester city centre in the other direction. Cycle paths exist as part of the Trafford cycle initiative.
Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the UK outside London, is about 9 miles (14.5 km) to the south of Stretford.
examination.
The proportion of pupils leaving Stretford Grammar School
with five or more GCSEs
at grades A*–C in 2006, was 98.3%, compared to an average of 66.7% for all secondary schools in Trafford and a national UK average of 61.3%. Over half of the school's pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and approximately a quarter of all pupils have a first language other than English, significantly above the national average. Stretford Grammar was awarded specialist Science College
status in September 2005. The school was assessed as "satisfactory" in its March 2006 Ofsted
report.
Stretford High School Community Languages College, like Stretford Grammar, has a much higher proportion than the national average of pupils with a first language other than English, a high number of them being either asylum seekers or refugees. In 2004, Stretford High School was made subject to special measures, as it was considered not to be providing an adequate education for its pupils. Substantial improvement has taken place since then; the school was assessed as "satisfactory" in its November 2005 Ofsted report and was removed from special measures. Further improvements saw Stretford High School gain an "outstanding" assessment from Ofsted, following its February 2008 inspection. GCSE results also placed the school in the top 1% of schools in the country for adding value to its students.
Stretford also has the specialist Arts College, Lostock College
.
The date of the first church to be built in Stretford is unrecorded, but in a lease dated 1413, land is described as lying next to a chapel. Many of the present day churches in the area were constructed during the late 19th and early 20th century, as the population of Stretford began to grow.
Methodism
was a significant influence in 19th-century Stretford, but of the 17 churches in the town today, only one is Methodist whereas five are Roman Catholic. The Catholic mission in Stretford was begun in 1859, in a small chapel on Herbert Street.
As at the 2001 UK census, 65% of Stretford residents reported themselves as being Christian, 12% as Muslim
, and 2% as Sikh
. No other religion was represented at higher than 1% of the population, with 12% reporting themselves as having no religion.
Stretford is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
.
There are two Grade II listed churches in Stretford: the Church of St Ann
and the Church of St Matthew. St Ann's is a Roman Catholic church, built in 1862–7 by E. W. Pugin
for Sir Humphrey and Lady Annette de Trafford. It was officially opened by Bishop William Turner
on 22 November 1863, and was consecrated
in June 1867. Features include a historic organ built by Jardine & Co (1867) and a good number of fine stained glass windows by Hardman & Co of Birmingham. St Matthew's church was built in 1842 by W. Hayley in the Gothic Revival
style, with additional phases in 1869, 1906 and 1922.
since 1910, when the club moved to its present Old Trafford
ground, the western end of which is still unofficially called the Stretford End
.
Old Trafford was originally the home of Manchester Cricket Club, but became the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club
in 1864 upon that club's formation. The ground is on Talbot Road, Stretford, where it has been since 1856. Similar to its counterpart, one end of the Old Trafford cricket ground is called the Stretford End. It has been a test venue since 1884 and has hosted three World Cup
semi-finals. After the 2005 Ashes Test, when more than 20,000 fans had to be turned away, the decision was made to increase the ground's capacity from 20,000 to 25,000. Initial plans included building a new stadium on the site of Trafford Town Hall, opposite the present ground. However, Trafford Council voted against the demolition of the town hall and instead, in 2007, signed an agreement jointly with Lancashire County Cricket Club, Ask Developments, and Tesco
, to redevelop the ground on its present site.
The new cricket ground will be at the heart of a 750000 square feet (69,677 m²) development which will also include business space, residential, retail, hotel and leisure facilities. The preferred development scheme is scheduled to be announced early in 2008. Over £25 million is expected to be invested in the redevelopments at Old Trafford.
Stretford Stadium, adjoining Longford Park, is the home of Trafford Athletic Club. Trafford is one of the UK's top athletic clubs, with over 100 members having competed at international level.
The Stretford Leisure Centre, run by Trafford Community Leisure Trust, is next door to Stretford High School and close to Old Trafford football and cricket grounds. The centre has a 25-metre pool, a 20-metre children's pool, 3 gyms, a squash court, eight badminton courts, a 5-a-side court, a spinning studio, training rooms, a cafe, and a public library. Trafford Water Sports Centre
lies just across Stretford's southern border with Sale, about one mile (1.6 km) from Stretford town centre.
The Stretford Pageant is an annual Rose Queen festival held on the last Saturday of June; the inaugural pageant was staged in 1919. There is a procession of decorated floats through the streets, collecting money for local charities and ending at Longford Park, where the Rose Queen is crowned. The tradition of the Rose Queen derives from an earlier event organised by St Peter's Church from 1909 until the pageant began in 1919. Various other entertainments are provided in the park on the day of the pageant, such as a fun fair and a car boot sale. Stretford Pageant, along with similar events in other parts of Trafford, is under threat because of the council's proposals to reduce funding and support for such events in the future.
The Stretford Wives
is a television drama that was broadcast by the BBC in August 2002, watched by 5.7 million viewers. Written by Danny Brocklehurst
, it is the story of three sisters living in Stretford, although most of the filming took place in nearby Salford. The programme received a mixed critical reception.
was developed at the North-Western Gas Board's laboratories in Stretford, during the 1940s. It was the first liquid phase, oxidation process for removing hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from town gas to gain widespread commercial acceptance. Many Stretford plants were built worldwide.
policing in Stretford is the responsibility of the Greater Manchester Police
, who have their headquarters in the town. The force's "M" Division, responsible for policing in Trafford, is also based in Stretford, close to Trafford Town Hall.
Waste management
is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
.
Fittingly for an area so close to Trafford Park
, the world's first planned industrial estate, one of the world's first industrial espionage agents, John Holker, was born in Stretford, in 1719.
Two of Stretford's famous residents were the suffragette
Emmeline Pankhurst
and painter L. S. Lowry
. The 1881 English census records Pankhurst and her family living at 3 Chester Road. Lowry was born in Barrett Street, Stretford, in 1887.
Manchester's first multi-millionaire John Rylands
and his wife Enriqueta Augustina Rylands lived at Longford Hall in Stretford in the later parts of their lives.
Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer
KCMG
(1860–1929) a British
-Australia
n biologist
and anthropologist
was born in Stretford.
Rock climber
Derek Hersey
was born in Stretford on 26 October 1956.
Television actor John Comer
, known for his role as café owner Sid in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
, was born at 104 King Street on 1 March 1924.
Musicians who have lived in the area include Morrissey
, the front man of '80s alternative rock band the Smiths
, whose family moved to 384 King's Road, Stretford, when he was 10 years old. Joy Division
singer and lyricist Ian Curtis
was born in Stretford in 1956. Jay Kay, lead singer and songwriter of Jamiroquai
, was born in Stretford in 1969.
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, it is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the southwest of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southwest of Salford and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) northeast of Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
. Stretford is contiguous with the suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
to the east, and the towns of Urmston
Urmston
Urmston is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey and the...
to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
to the south. The Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
bisects the town.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, during much of the 19th century Stretford was an agricultural village known locally as Porkhampton, a reference to the large number of pigs produced for the nearby Manchester market. It was also an extensive market gardening area, producing more than 500 LT of vegetables each week for sale in Manchester by 1845. The arrival of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park Industrial Estate
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
in the north of the town, accelerated the industrialisation that had begun in the late 19th century. By 2001, less than 1% of Stretford's population was employed in agriculture.
Stretford has been the home of Manchester United Football Club
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
since 1910, and of Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
since 1864. Notable residents have included the industrialist, philanthropist, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire John Rylands
John Rylands
John Rylands was an English entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was the owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire....
, the suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
, the painter L. S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
, Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and Jay Kay of Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
.
History
The origin of the name Stretford is "streetStreet
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
" (Old English stræt) on a ford across the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. The principal road through Stretford, the A56 Chester Road
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
, follows the line of the old Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
(Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
) to Mancunium
Mancunium
Mamucium, also known as Mancunium, was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia. The remains of the fort are protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and are located within the Castlefield area of the City of Manchester, in North West England . Founded c. AD 79, Mamucium was garrisoned...
(Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
), crossing the Mersey into Stretford at Crossford Bridge, built at the location of the ancient ford.
The earliest evidence of human occupation around Stretford comes from Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
stone axes found in the area, dating from about 2000 BC. Stretford was part of the land occupied by the Celtic Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
tribe before and during the Roman occupation, and lay on their border with the Cornovii on the southern side of the Mersey. By 1212, there were two manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
in the area now called Stretford. The land in the south, close to the River Mersey, was held by Hamon de Mascy
Hamon de Massey
The first Hamon de Massey was the owner of the manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, taking over from the Saxon thegn Aelfward according to the Domesday Book....
, while the land in the north, closer to the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
, was held by Henry de Trafford. In about 1250, a later Hamon de Mascy gave the Stretford manor to his daughter, Margery. She in turn, in about 1260, granted Stretford to Richard de Trafford at a rent of one penny. The de Mascy family shortly afterwards released all rights to their lands in Stretford to Henry de Trafford, the Trafford family thus acquiring the whole of Stretford, since when the two manors descended together.
The de Trafford family leased out large parts of the land, much of it to tenants who farmed at subsistence levels. Although there is known to have been a papermill operating in 1765, the area remained largely rural until the early 20th-century development of Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
in the Old Trafford district north of the town. Until then Stretford "remained in the background of daily life in England", except for a brief cameo role during the Jacobite
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
rebellion of 1745, when Crossford Bridge was destroyed to prevent a crossing by Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
's army during its abortive advance on London; the bridge was quickly rebuilt.
Until the 1820s one of Stretford's main cottage industries was the hand-weaving of cotton. There were reported at one time to have been 302 handlooms operating in Stretford, providing employment for 780 workers, but by 1826 only four were still in use, as the mechanised cotton mills of nearby Manchester replaced handlooms. As Manchester continued to grow, it offered a good and easily accessible market for Stretford's agricultural products, in particular rhubarb
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
, once known locally as Stretford beef. By 1836 market gardening
Market gardening
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
had become so extensive around Stretford that one writer described it as the "garden of Lancashire"; in 1845 more than 500 tons of vegetables were being produced for the Manchester market each week. Stretford also became well known for its pig market and the production of black puddings, leading to the village being given the nickname of Porkhampton. A local dish, known as Stretford goose, was made from pork stuffed with sage and onions. During the 1830s, between 800 and 1,000 pigs a week were being slaughtered for the Manchester market.
Situated on the border with Manchester, Stretford became a fashionable place to live in the mid-19th century. Large recreation areas were established, such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, opened in 1831. The gardens were sited in Old Trafford on the advice of scientist John Dalton
John Dalton
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,...
, because the prevailing southwesterly wind kept the area clear of the city's airborne pollution. In 1857, the gardens hosted the Art Treasures Exhibition, the largest art exhibition ever held in the United Kingdom. A purpose-built iron and glass building was constructed at a cost of £38,000 to house the 16,000 exhibits. The gardens were also chosen as a site for the Royal Jubilee Exhibition
Royal Jubilee Exhibition, Manchester 1887
The Royal Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was held in Old Trafford, Manchester, England, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. It was opened by Princess Alexandra, wife of Edward, the Prince of Wales, on 3 May 1887, and remained open for 166 days, during which time there...
of 1887, celebrating Queen Victoria's 50-year reign. The exhibition ran for more than six months and was attended by more than 4.75 million visitors. The gardens were converted into an entertainment resort in 1907, and hosted the first speedway meeting in Greater Manchester on 16 June 1928. There was also greyhound racing from 1930, and an athletics track. The complex was demolished in the late 1980s, and all that remains is the entrance gates, close to what is now the White City Retail Park. The gates were designated a Grade II listed structure in 1987.
Industrialisation
The arrival of the Manchester Ship CanalManchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
in 1894, and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
industrial estate in the north of the town – the first planned industrial estate in the world – had a substantial effect on Stretford's growth. The population in 1891 was 21,751, but by 1901 it had increased by 40% to 30,436 as people were drawn to the town by the promise of work in the new industries at Trafford Park.
During the Second World War Trafford Park was largely turned over to the production of matériel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
, including the Avro Manchester
Avro Manchester
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hickley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1857801798....
heavy bomber, and the Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engines used to power both the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
and the Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
. That resulted in Stretford being the target for heavy bombing, particularly during the Manchester Blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
of 1940. On the nights of 22/23 and 23/24 December 1940 alone, 124 incendiaries and 120 high-explosive bombs fell on the town, killing 73 people and injuring many more. Among the buildings damaged or destroyed during the war were Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's Old Trafford football ground, All Saints' Church, St Hilda's Church, and the children's library in King Street. Smoke generators were set up in the north of the town close to Trafford Park in an effort to hide it from enemy aircraft, and 11,900 children were evacuated to safer areas in Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, along with their teachers and supervisors. A memorial to those residents who lost their lives in the bombing was erected in Stretford Cemetery in 1948, over the communal grave of the 17 unidentified people who were killed in the blitz of December 1940.
Between 1972 and 1975, what is now the B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
store in Great Stone Road was the 3,000-capacity Hardrock Theatre and Village Discothèque, hosting some of that period's major artists in their prime. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Curved Air
Curved Air
Curved Air are a pioneering British progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classic, folk, and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band was a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements...
and Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
were amongst those who appeared. Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
was the last band to perform at the Hardrock, on 19 October 1975. In more recent years, Lancashire Cricket Club's Old Trafford ground, next door, has provided a concert venue for bands such as Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves is an American alternative rock supergroup led by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, also including guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street and Box Car Racer, bass guitarist Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars and former Lostprophets and Nine Inch...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, and the Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, with audiences in excess of 40,000.
Transport history
Stretford's growth was fuelled by the transport revolutions of the 18th and especially the 19th century: the Bridgewater Canal reached Stretford in 1761, and the railway in 1849. The completion of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR) in 1849, passing through Stretford, led to the population of the town nearly doubling in a decade, increasing from 4,998 in 1851 to 8,757 by 1861.Because Stretford is situated on the main A56 road
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
between Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and Manchester many travellers passed through the village, and as this traffic increased, more inns were built to provide travellers with stopping places. One of the earliest forms of public transport through Stretford was the stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
; the Angel Hotel, on the present day site of the Bass Drum public house, was one of the main stopping places for stagecoaches in Stretford and the Trafford Arms was another. The stagecoach service through Stretford is believed to have ended some time in the 1840s, about the time that horse-drawn omnibuses arrived, in 1845. The Manchester Carriage Company
Manchester Carriage Company
The Manchester Carriage Company was established on 1 March 1865 to provide horse-drawn bus services throughout Manchester and Salford, in England. The company was the result of a merger between the competing transport interests of local rivals John Greenwood, Robert and James Turner, and...
's tramway from Manchester to Stretford was built in 1879, terminating at the Old Cock Hotel on the A56 road, next to which a small depot was built to house the cars and horses. A 1900 timetable shows that trams left for Manchester every 10 minutes between 8:00 am and 10:15 pm. The horse-drawn trams were replaced with electric trams in 1902, and after the Second World War the trams were replaced by buses.
The MSJAR railway line through Stretford was electrified in 1931, and was converted to light rail operation in 1992, when it became part of the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
tram network. The first Metrolink tram through Stretford ran on 15 June 1992.
Civic history
Manchester (ancient parish)
Manchester was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, in Lancashire, England. It encompassed several townships and chapelries, including the then township of Manchester...
, within the historic county boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, a national scheme for dealing with the relief of the poor, Stretford joined the Chorlton Poor Law Union in 1837, one of three such unions in Manchester, before transferring to the Barton-upon-Irwell
Barton-upon-Irwell
Barton-upon-Irwell is a suburban area of Eccles, Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
Poor Law Union in 1849. In 1867, Stretford Local Board of Health was established, assuming responsibility for the local government of the area in 1868. The board's responsibilities included sanitation and the maintenance of the highways, and it had the authority to levy rates
Rates (tax)
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...
to pay for those services. The local board continued in that role until it was superseded by the creation of Stretford Urban District Council in 1894, as a result of the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
.
Stretford Urban District became the Municipal Borough of Stretford
Municipal Borough of Stretford
Stretford was, from 1868 to 1974, a local government district coterminate with the town of Stretford in the then county of Lancashire, England.-Local Board and Urban District:...
in 1933, giving it borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
. Stretford Borough Council was granted its arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
on 20 February 1933. The roses are the red roses of Lancashire, and the lion in the centre represents John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
. Above the lion are a crossed flail and scythe; the flail comes from the arms of the de Trafford family; the scythe is a reminder of the agricultural history of the area; the thunderbolts above represent the importance of electricity in Stretford's industrial development. The boat at the bottom represents Stretford's links to the sea via the Manchester Ship Canal.
In 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the Municipal Borough of Stretford was abolished and Stretford has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. Trafford Town Hall – previously Stretford Town Hall – is the administrative centre of Trafford.
Political representation
The constituency of StretfordStretford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stretford was a parliamentary constituency in North West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
was created in 1885, and existed until 1997, when it was replaced by the present constituency of Stretford and Urmston. Kate Green
Kate Green
Katherine Anne 'Kate' Green OBE is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston since 2010.-Early life:Green was born in Edinburgh to Maurice and Jessie Craig Green...
, a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, became the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
at the 2010 General Election, with a majority of 8,935, representing 48.6 percent of the vote. The Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
took 28.7 percent of the vote, the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
16.9 percent, the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
3.4 percent, the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
2.0 percent, and the Christian Party 0.4 percent.
Stretford is one of the four major urban areas in Trafford; the other three are Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
, Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
and Urmston
Urmston
Urmston is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey and the...
. The area historically known as Stretford, between the River Irwell in the north and the River Mersey in the south, has since 2004 been divided between the Trafford local government wards of Clifford, Longford, Gorse Hill, and Stretford. Each ward is represented by three local councillors, giving Stretford 12 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council. The wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle
United Kingdom local elections, 2007
The 2007 UK local government elections were held on 3 May 2007. These elections took place in most of England and all of Scotland. There were no local government elections in Wales though the Welsh Assembly had a general election on the same day. There were no local government elections in Northern...
. As at 2010, all 12 of the councillors representing the Stretford area are members of the Labour Party.
Geography
Stretford occupies an area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), just north of the River MerseyRiver Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
, at 53°26′48"N 2°18′31"W (53.4466, –2.3086). The area is generally flat, sloping slightly southwards towards the river valley, and is approximately 150 feet (46 m) above sea level at its highest point. The most southerly part of Stretford lies within the flood plain of the River Mersey, and so has historically been prone to flooding. A great deal of flood mitigation work has been carried out in the Mersey Valley since the 1970s, with the stretch of the Mersey through Stretford canalised to speed up the passage of floodwater. Emergency floodbasins have also been constructed, Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park is a area of countryside and parkland including a artificial lake in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1979 and owned by Trafford council, the water park lies in an area of the green belt running through the Mersey river valley between...
being a prominent local example, lying immediately to the south of Stretford.
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
and Firswood
Firswood
Firswood is an area of Stretford, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.-Geography:Firswood borders Old Trafford and Chorlton-cum-Hardy.-Present day:...
. Its climate is generally temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.
Stretford's built environment developed along the A56 road in two separate sections, corresponding to the original two manors. The area in the south, near to the border with Sale, grew around the church of St Matthew – an old alternative name for the town was Stretford St. Matthew. The northern part of Stretford was centred on Old Trafford, with undeveloped countryside separating the two areas. During the 19th century, both sections merged together.
The western terminus of the early medieval linear earthwork Nico Ditch
Nico Ditch
Nico Ditch is a six mile long linear earthwork running between Ashton-under-Lyne and Stretford in Greater Manchester, England. It may have been dug as a defensive fortification, but more likely it was intended to be a boundary marker...
is in Hough Moss, just to the east of Stretford ; it was probably used as an administrative boundary and dates from the 8th or 9th century.
Demography
| Stretford Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Stretford | Trafford | England |
| Total population | 37,455 | 210,145 | 49,138,831 |
| Foreign born | 17% | 8% | 9% |
| White | 73% | 92% | 91% |
| Asian | 15% | 5% | 5% |
| Black | 8% | 2% | 2% |
| Average age | 36.7 y | 38.9 y | 38.6 y |
| Over 65 years old | 15% | 16% | 16% |
As at the 2001 UK census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the Stretford area wards of Clifford, Longford, Talbot and Stretford had a total population of 37,455, •
•
• and a population density of 9,158 persons per square mile (3,537 per km²). •
•
•
Stretford residents had an average age of 36.7 years, younger than the 38.9 Trafford average. •
•
• For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. Of all residents, 52% were single (never married): in Trafford, 44% were single. •
•
• Of the 16,078 households, 37% were one-person households, 14% were married couples with dependent children, and 9% were lone parents with dependent children. •
•
• Of those aged 16–74 in Stretford, 33% had no academic qualifications, higher than the 25% in all of Trafford. •
•
•
With 83% of residents born in the United Kingdom, there is a relatively high proportion of foreign-born residents reported. There is also a high proportion of non-white people, as 73% of residents were recorded as white. The largest minority group was Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
, at 15% of the population. •
•
•
In June 2004, Trafford adopted a revised set of ward boundaries, and the ward of Talbot was replaced by the new ward of Gorse Hill. Re-aligning the 2001 census figures with the 2004 ward boundaries gives Stretford a population of 42,121. •
•
•
In 1931, 18.7% of Stretford's population was middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and 19.7% working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
compared to 14% middle class and 36% working class nationally. The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers. By 1971, the middle class in Stretford had declined steadily to 14.9% whilst the working class had grown to 31.3% compared to 24% middle class and 26% working class nationally. Stretford has gone against the national trend of a shrinking working class and a growing middle class.
| Population change in Stretford since 1801 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 2001 |
| Population | 1,477 | 1,720 | 2,173 | 2,463 | 3,524 | 4,998 | 8,757 | 11,945 | 19,018 | 21,751 | 30,436 | 42,496 | 46,535 | 56,791 | 51,929 | 61,874 | 60,364 | 54,316 | 37,455 |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through Time | |||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
industrial estate in the north of the town, beginning in the late 19th century, had a significant effect on Stretford's subsequent development. At its peak, in 1945, the park employed an estimated 75,000 workers; housing and other amenities had to be constructed on what had previously been agricultural land. Trafford Park is still a very significant source of employment, containing an estimated 1,400 companies and employing about 44,000 people. As at the 2001 UK census, 0.3% of Stretford's working population was employed in agriculture. •
•
•
The main shopping centre is Stretford Mall in the commercial centre
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Stretford, previously known as Stretford Arndale. It was opened in 1969 and changed its name in 2003. Stretford Mall was built on the site of the original shopping centre in the former King Street. The Trafford Centre, a large shopping and leisure complex opened in September 1998, lies to the northwest of Stretford. Frequent shuttle buses run between Stretford Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
tram station and The Trafford Centre, about 2.5 miles (4 km) away.
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
into Stretford; as of the 2001 census, there were 23,595 jobs within the town, compared with the town's 13,399 employed residents. •
•
•
The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74 as 38.8% in full-time employment, 11.1% in part-time employment, 5.6% self-employed, 4.5% unemployed, 2.9% students with jobs, 5.5% students without jobs, 12.2% retired, 7.0% looking after home or family, 7.7% permanently sick or disabled, and 4.7% economically inactive for other reasons. The 4.5% unemployment rate in Stretford was high compared with the national rate of 3.3%. According to the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
estimates, between April 2001 and March 2002 the average gross income of households in Stretford was £415 per week (£21,664 per year). •
•
•
Longford Cinema
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
, is perhaps the most visually striking building in the town. Designed by the architect Henry Elder, it was the height of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
fashion when it was opened by the Mayor of Stretford in 1936. Its unusual "cash register" frontage was intended to symbolise the business aspect of show business.
The building incorporated many modern features, such as sound-proofing and under-seat heating, and it was also the first cinema in Britain to make use of concealed neon lighting. It had a seating capacity of 1,400 in the stalls and 600 in the circle, with a further 146 seats in the café area. When built, the cinema had a short pedestrian approach to the facade, but this was removed when the A56 was widened. During the Second World War the building was used for concerts, including one given by a young Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
. It also played host to the Hallé Orchestra after the orchestra's own home, the Free Trade Hall
Free Trade Hall
The Free Trade Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, was a public hall constructed in 1853–6 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre and is now a hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. The architect was Edward Walters The hall subsequently was...
, was bombed and severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
of 1940.
After a change of ownership in 1950, the cinema was renamed the Stretford Essoldo. It continued to operate as a cinema until 1965, when it was converted into a bingo hall, which it remained until its closure in 1995. The building has been unused since then. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1994.
Great Stone
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
and was probably deposited as a glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
. It is rectangular in shape, about wide, deep, and tall, with two 7 inches (17.8 cm) deep rectangular slots cut into its upper surface.
Several suggestions have been made for the history of the Great Stone. There was a succession of plagues in Manchester from the 14th century onwards, and during the Great Plague of 1655–6 the holes in the top of the stone were filled with vinegar or holy water, through which coins were passed in the belief that would halt the spread of the disease. But the holes are probably too deep for that to have been the stone's original purpose. It may have been a marker on the Roman road between Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
and Manchester, or some kind of boundary marker. The Great Stone is also thought to have been the base of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft. A local legend had it that the stone was slowly sinking into the earth, and that its final disappearance would mark the end of the world.
When the Great Stone Road was widened in the late 19th century, the stone was moved back from the road slightly. In 1925, the stone was moved again, to its current location outside the North Lodge of Gorse Hill Park, about 328 feet (100 m) from its historical location. The stone is a Grade II listed structure.
Cenotaph
Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby
Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
, Secretary of State for War.
The cenotaph is 24 feet (7 m) high and 11 feet (3 m) wide at its base. It cost £2,000 to build, raised by public subscription and a donation from the Stretford Red Cross. The memorial bears the legend "They died that we might live" on one side, and "In memory of the heroic dead" on the other. It is a Grade II listed structure.
Longford Park
Longford Park is the largest park in Trafford, at 54 acres (22 ha). It includes a pets' corner, botanical gardenBotanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, bowling greens, children's play areas, and an athletics stadium, and is the finishing point of the annual Stretford Pageant. As the Manchester–Stretford boundary runs across the park, part of it is in Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
.
Longford Park was the home of John Rylands
John Rylands
John Rylands was an English entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was the owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire....
, industrialist, philanthropist, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire, from 1855 until his death in 1888 and of his widow Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands was the founder of the John Rylands Library, Manchester.Born in Havana, Cuba, she was one of five children including José Esteban , Blanca Catalina and Leocadia Fernanda...
until her death in 1908. The house Rylands constructed in the park in 1857, Longford Hall, was demolished in 1995. It replaced an earlier house of the same name that had been the residence of Thomas Walker (died 1817) and subsequently of his sons Thomas (died 1836) and Charles. Today only the front porch, coach house, and the stable buildings remain. The estate and hall were sold to Stretford Council in 1911 after a poll of ratepayers, and the park was opened to the public the following year.
Public Hall
Public baths were built to the rear of the building, accessed via Cyprus Street. In 1940 the new Stretford Library was opened on King Street, and the public hall was rendered surplus. The building re-opened in March 1949 as the Stretford Civic Theatre, with a well- equipped stage for the use of local groups. After the Stretford Leisure Centre opened in 1977, the Cyprus Street Baths wing fell into disuse, and was demolished. The remainder of the building began to fall into disrepair, despite being designated a Grade II listed structure in 1987, until Trafford Council refurbished and converted the hall to serve as council offices in the mid-1990s. It was re-opened in 1997, once again named Stretford Public Hall.
Stretford Cemetery
The cemetery entrance is at Lime Road: it was designed by John Shaw and opened in 1885. The chapel is in the Decorated style, designed by architects Bellamy & Hardy, and quite elaborate. On the western side is a memorial to the casualties of the Second World War and to the east a newer section of the cemetery.Trafford Town Hall
Trafford Town Hall stands in a large site at the junction of Talbot Road and Warwick Road, directly opposite the Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The building was designed by architects Bradshaw Gass & HopeBradshaw Gass & Hope
Bradshaw Gass & Hope is an English firm of architects founded in 1862 by Jonas James Bradshaw . The style "Bradshaw Gass & Hope" was adopted after J. J...
of Bolton and the contractors were Edwin Marshall & Sons. Building work began 21 August 1931.
The building officially came into use as Stretford Town Hall on the granting of Stretford's charter, on 16 September 1933. In 1974, on the formation of the new Trafford Metropolitan Borough, Stretford Town Hall was adopted as the base for the new council, and was renamed Trafford Town Hall. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 2007.
Union Church
The Union Church was formed in 1862, with John Rylands as its patron; he laid the foundation stone of its building in Edge Lane, close to Longford Park's southern entrance, in 1867. The church has since been converted into office accommodation.Transport
Stretford Metrolink station
Stretford Metrolink station is located on the corner of Chester Road and Edge Lane, it serves the suburb Stretford and eastern parts of Urmston....
is part of the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
tram system, and lies on the Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
to Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
line. Trams leave about every six minutes between 7:15 and 18:30, and every 12 minutes at other times of the day. The nearest main line railway station is Trafford Park
Trafford Park railway station
Trafford Park railway station is in the north of Stretford in the Trafford metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in the northwest of England. The station is 6 km west of Manchester Oxford Road It is the closest station to the Trafford Centre shopping complex at a distance of just over a...
, on the Liverpool to Manchester line. Services are roughly every two hours in each direction, with extra services calling during the peak-hours. The Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal, opened in 1993, is in the Gorse Hill area of Stretford. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year. The containers are handled by two huge gantry cranes, the noise from which has led to complaints from some local residents.
The town has good access to the motorway network; junction 7 of the M60
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
is just to the north of Stretford's boundary with Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
. The A56 road
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
gives easy access to the south as well as to Manchester city centre in the other direction. Cycle paths exist as part of the Trafford cycle initiative.
Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the UK outside London, is about 9 miles (14.5 km) to the south of Stretford.
Education
Along with the rest of Trafford, Stretford maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven PlusEleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
examination.
The proportion of pupils leaving Stretford Grammar School
Stretford Grammar School
Stretford Grammar School is a selective state school in the borough of Trafford, England.-Admissions:The school has a sixth form in addition to years 7 to 11...
with five or more GCSEs
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
at grades A*–C in 2006, was 98.3%, compared to an average of 66.7% for all secondary schools in Trafford and a national UK average of 61.3%. Over half of the school's pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and approximately a quarter of all pupils have a first language other than English, significantly above the national average. Stretford Grammar was awarded specialist Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
status in September 2005. The school was assessed as "satisfactory" in its March 2006 Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report.
Stretford High School Community Languages College, like Stretford Grammar, has a much higher proportion than the national average of pupils with a first language other than English, a high number of them being either asylum seekers or refugees. In 2004, Stretford High School was made subject to special measures, as it was considered not to be providing an adequate education for its pupils. Substantial improvement has taken place since then; the school was assessed as "satisfactory" in its November 2005 Ofsted report and was removed from special measures. Further improvements saw Stretford High School gain an "outstanding" assessment from Ofsted, following its February 2008 inspection. GCSE results also placed the school in the top 1% of schools in the country for adding value to its students.
Stretford also has the specialist Arts College, Lostock College
Lostock College
Lostock College is a mixed, 11-16 secondary modern school in Stretford, Greater Manchester. The school is a specialist Arts College. The school enrolls 650 students.-Facilities:...
.
Religion
| Stretford Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Stretford | Trafford | England |
| Total population | 37,455 | 210,145 | 49,138,831 |
| Christian | 64.7% | 75.8% | 71.7% |
| Muslim | 12.4% | 3.3% | 3.1% |
| Sikh | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Hindu | 0.7% | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| Buddhist | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Jewish | 0.2% | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| No religion | 12.1% | 12.0% | 14.6% |
The date of the first church to be built in Stretford is unrecorded, but in a lease dated 1413, land is described as lying next to a chapel. Many of the present day churches in the area were constructed during the late 19th and early 20th century, as the population of Stretford began to grow.
Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
was a significant influence in 19th-century Stretford, but of the 17 churches in the town today, only one is Methodist whereas five are Roman Catholic. The Catholic mission in Stretford was begun in 1859, in a small chapel on Herbert Street.
As at the 2001 UK census, 65% of Stretford residents reported themselves as being Christian, 12% as Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, and 2% as Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
. No other religion was represented at higher than 1% of the population, with 12% reporting themselves as having no religion.
Stretford is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
.
There are two Grade II listed churches in Stretford: the Church of St Ann
St Ann's, Stretford
St Ann's, Church, Stretford is a Grade II listed Roman Catholic church in Stretford, Greater Manchester, England, and is located on East side of Chester Road A56. The church was constructed between 1862 and 1863...
and the Church of St Matthew. St Ann's is a Roman Catholic church, built in 1862–7 by E. W. Pugin
E. W. Pugin
Edward Welby Pugin was the eldest son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father, A. W. N. Pugin, was a famous architect and designer of Neo-Gothic architecture, and after his death in 1852 Edward took up his successful practice...
for Sir Humphrey and Lady Annette de Trafford. It was officially opened by Bishop William Turner
William Turner (Bishop of Salford)
William Turner was the first Bishop of Salford, a Roman Catholic diocese in the north-west of England.Before 1850 he was the Vicar General for the Hundreds of Salford and Blackburn, and when these areas were formed into the Salford Diocese, he became its first bishop in 1851...
on 22 November 1863, and was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in June 1867. Features include a historic organ built by Jardine & Co (1867) and a good number of fine stained glass windows by Hardman & Co of Birmingham. St Matthew's church was built in 1842 by W. Hayley in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, with additional phases in 1869, 1906 and 1922.
Sports
Stretford has been the home of Manchester United Football ClubManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
since 1910, when the club moved to its present Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
ground, the western end of which is still unofficially called the Stretford End
Stretford End
The Stretford End, officially named West Stand, is a stand on the west side of Old Trafford, the stadium of Manchester United F.C. It took its name from the town of Stretford, in which the stadium is located, as it is in the direction of the centre of Stretford, looking from the centre of the pitch...
.
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in 1864 upon that club's formation. The ground is on Talbot Road, Stretford, where it has been since 1856. Similar to its counterpart, one end of the Old Trafford cricket ground is called the Stretford End. It has been a test venue since 1884 and has hosted three World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
semi-finals. After the 2005 Ashes Test, when more than 20,000 fans had to be turned away, the decision was made to increase the ground's capacity from 20,000 to 25,000. Initial plans included building a new stadium on the site of Trafford Town Hall, opposite the present ground. However, Trafford Council voted against the demolition of the town hall and instead, in 2007, signed an agreement jointly with Lancashire County Cricket Club, Ask Developments, and Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, to redevelop the ground on its present site.
Stretford Stadium, adjoining Longford Park, is the home of Trafford Athletic Club. Trafford is one of the UK's top athletic clubs, with over 100 members having competed at international level.
The Stretford Leisure Centre, run by Trafford Community Leisure Trust, is next door to Stretford High School and close to Old Trafford football and cricket grounds. The centre has a 25-metre pool, a 20-metre children's pool, 3 gyms, a squash court, eight badminton courts, a 5-a-side court, a spinning studio, training rooms, a cafe, and a public library. Trafford Water Sports Centre
Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park is a area of countryside and parkland including a artificial lake in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1979 and owned by Trafford council, the water park lies in an area of the green belt running through the Mersey river valley between...
lies just across Stretford's southern border with Sale, about one mile (1.6 km) from Stretford town centre.
Culture and cultural references
Although Stretford town centre is busy during the day, there is very little in the way of a night-time economy. There are no restaurants or other entertainments except for a number of public houses and members-only social clubs. There are two public libraries, Greatstone Library, part of Stretford Leisure Centre, and Stretford Library, both run by Trafford Council.The Stretford Pageant is an annual Rose Queen festival held on the last Saturday of June; the inaugural pageant was staged in 1919. There is a procession of decorated floats through the streets, collecting money for local charities and ending at Longford Park, where the Rose Queen is crowned. The tradition of the Rose Queen derives from an earlier event organised by St Peter's Church from 1909 until the pageant began in 1919. Various other entertainments are provided in the park on the day of the pageant, such as a fun fair and a car boot sale. Stretford Pageant, along with similar events in other parts of Trafford, is under threat because of the council's proposals to reduce funding and support for such events in the future.
The Stretford Wives
The Stretford Wives
The Stretford Wives is a British drama film made by the BBC. It was first broadcast on BBC One in August 2002 and has not been released on DVD. The film revolves around the lives of three sisters – played by Fay Ripley, Claire Rushbrook, and Lindsey Coulson – who live in Stretford,...
is a television drama that was broadcast by the BBC in August 2002, watched by 5.7 million viewers. Written by Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst is a BAFTA and International Emmy -winning English screenwriter. Brocklehurst worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a full-time screenwriter.He has written acclaimed television drama...
, it is the story of three sisters living in Stretford, although most of the filming took place in nearby Salford. The programme received a mixed critical reception.
Invention and discovery
The Stretford processStretford process
The Stretford process was developed during the late 1940s to remove hydrogen sulfide from town gas. It was the first liquid phase, oxidation process for converting H2S into sulfur to gain widespread commercial acceptance...
was developed at the North-Western Gas Board's laboratories in Stretford, during the 1940s. It was the first liquid phase, oxidation process for removing hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from town gas to gain widespread commercial acceptance. Many Stretford plants were built worldwide.
Public services
Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
policing in Stretford is the responsibility of the Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
, who have their headquarters in the town. The force's "M" Division, responsible for policing in Trafford, is also based in Stretford, close to Trafford Town Hall.
Waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority is a waste disposal authority created under the Local Government Act 1985 to carry out the waste management functions and duties of the Greater Manchester County Council after its abolition in 1986....
.
Notable people
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
, the world's first planned industrial estate, one of the world's first industrial espionage agents, John Holker, was born in Stretford, in 1719.
Two of Stretford's famous residents were the suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
and painter L. S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
. The 1881 English census records Pankhurst and her family living at 3 Chester Road. Lowry was born in Barrett Street, Stretford, in 1887.
Manchester's first multi-millionaire John Rylands
John Rylands
John Rylands was an English entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was the owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire....
and his wife Enriqueta Augustina Rylands lived at Longford Hall in Stretford in the later parts of their lives.
Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer
Walter Baldwin Spencer
Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer KCMG was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist.Baldwin was born in Stretford, Lancashire. His father, Reuben Spencer, who had come from Derbyshire in his youth, obtained a position with Rylands and Sons, cotton manufacturers, and rose to be chairman of its...
KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1860–1929) a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n biologist
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
was born in Stretford.
Rock climber
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
Derek Hersey
Derek Hersey
Derek Geoffrey Hersey was a British rock climber and for many years an icon of the Boulder, Colorado climbing scene. Hersey was a master of unroped "free solo" climbing, often in the 5.10–5.11 range...
was born in Stretford on 26 October 1956.
Television actor John Comer
John Comer
John Comer was a British actor best known for his comedy roles in the television series I Didn't Know You Cared, Last of the Summer Wine and All Our Saturdays.-Early life:...
, known for his role as café owner Sid in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
, was born at 104 King Street on 1 March 1924.
Musicians who have lived in the area include Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, the front man of '80s alternative rock band the Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, whose family moved to 384 King's Road, Stretford, when he was 10 years old. Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
singer and lyricist Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
was born in Stretford in 1956. Jay Kay, lead singer and songwriter of Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, was born in Stretford in 1969.
Further reading
- Bailey, John E. (1878) Old Stretford: a lecture. Manchester T. J. Day
- Burton, Nick (ed.) (199-) Chorlton cum Hardy and Stretford, 1905. (Old Ordnance Survey maps. Lancashire sheet 111.10) Gateshead: Alan Godfrey (includes historical survey and extracts from Slater's directory, 1910)