Trafford
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough
of Greater Manchester
, England
. It has a population of 211,800, covers 41 square miles (106 km²), and includes the towns of Altrincham
, Partington, Sale
, Stretford
, and Urmston
. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972
as a merger of the municipal borough
s of Altrincham, Sale
, and Stretford
, the urban district
s of Bowdon
, Hale
, and Urmston
and part of Bucklow Rural District
. All were previously in Cheshire
, apart from Stretford and Urmston which were in Lancashire
. The River Mersey
flows through the borough, separating North Trafford from South Trafford. Historically the Mersey also acted as the boundary between the historic counties
of Lancashire and Cheshire.
The Trafford area has a long heritage, with evidence of Neolithic
, Bronze Age
, and Roman
activity. Amongst the relics of the past are two castles – one of them a Scheduled Ancient Monument
– and over 200 listed buildings. The area underwent change in the late 19th century and the population rapidly expanded with the arrival of the railway. Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C.
and Lancashire County Cricket Club
and since 2002 the Imperial War Museum North
.
Trafford has a strong economy with low levels of unemployment and contains both Trafford Park
industrial estate and the Trafford Centre
, a large out-of-town shopping centre. Apart from the City of Manchester, Trafford is the only borough in Greater Manchester to be above the national average for weekly income. Socially, the area includes both working class
areas like Old Trafford and Stretford
and middle class
ones such as Bowdon
and Hale
. Altrincham and Sale West is one of the two parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester to be held by the Conservative Party
, the other being Bury North
.
suggested "Crossford ... whilst "Watlingford" was suggested by councillors in Hale, after the supposed name of an ancient Roman road
in the district. Those names were rejected in favour of Trafford, because of the district's "famous sports venue, a major employer as well as historic associations", referring to Old Trafford
, Trafford Park
and the de Trafford Baronets
respectively.
As a place name, Trafford is an Anglo-French
version of Stratford, deriving from the Old English words stræt (a street, more specifically a Roman road) and ford (a river crossing). The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford has existed since 1974, but the area it covers has a long history. Neolithic
arrowheads have been discovered in Altrincham
and Sale
, and there is evidence of Bronze Age
habitation in Timperley
. Fragments of Roman
pottery have been found in Urmston
, and Roman coins have been found in Sale. The Roman road between the legionary
fortresses
at Chester
(Deva Victrix
) and York
(Eboracum
) crosses Trafford, passing through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham. The settlements in Trafford have been based largely around agriculture, although Altrincham was probably founded as a market town. Although the Industrial Revolution
affected Trafford, the area did not experience the same rate of growth as the rest of Greater Manchester
. A 100% increase in population in the Trafford area between 1841 and 1861 was a direct result of an influx due to the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
, which allowed residents to more easily commute from Trafford into Manchester. The area developed its own centres of industry in Broadheath
(founded in 1885) and Trafford Park
(founded in 1897). They have since declined, although Trafford Park still employs 40–50,000 people. Today, Trafford is mostly a commuter area. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972
as one of the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester.
and the City of Manchester border Trafford to the north and east respectively; the Cheshire East
area of Cheshire
lies to the south. The geology of South Trafford is Keuper marl
with some Keuper waterstone and sandstone, whilst the geology of North Trafford is Bunter sandstone
. The River Mersey
runs east to west through the area, separating North Trafford from South Trafford; other rivers in Trafford include the Bollin
, the River Irwell
, Sinderland Brook, and Crofts Bank Brook. The Bridgewater Canal
, opened in 1761 and completed in 1776, follows a course through Trafford roughly north to south and passes through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham. The Manchester Ship Canal
, opened in 1894, forms part of Trafford's northern and western boundaries with Salford
.
Trafford is generally flat, with most of the land lying between 66 feet (20.1 m) and 98 feet (29.9 m) above sea level, apart from Bowdon Hill in South Trafford which rises 200 feet (61 m) above sea level. The lowest point in Trafford, near Warburton
, is 36 feet (11 m) above sea level. There are areas of mossland
in low lying areas: Warburton Moss, Dunham Moss, and Hale Moss. Greenspace
accounts for 51.8% of Trafford’s total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 25.6%, the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
Localities within the boundaries of Trafford include:
North Trafford: Cornbrook, Davyhulme
, Firswood
, Flixton
, Gorse Hill
, Lostock, Old Trafford
, Stretford
, Trafford Park
and Urmston
.
South Trafford: Altrincham
, Ashton-Upon-Mersey, Bowdon
, Broadheath
, Brooklands
, Carrington
, Dunham Massey
, Hale
, Hale Barns
, Oldfield Brow, Partington, Sale
, Sale Moor, Timperley
, Warburton
and West Timperley.
MP (Conservative
). This is one of only a small number of seats in the North West held by the Conservative Party
, and one of only two in Greater Manchester. Stretford and Urmston is represented by Kate Green
MP (Labour
). Wythenshawe and Sale East, which also covers parts of the City of Manchester, is represented by Paul Goggins
MP (Labour).
constituency in the European Parliament
. North West England elects eight MEPs; as of the 2009 European elections
, the region is represented made up of three Conservatives, two from the Labour Party, one Liberal Democrat
, and one member of the United Kingdom Independence Party
and one for the British National Party
.
; the Conservatives have been in control 1973–85, 1988–94, and 2004 to the present. The only time the Labour Party
was in control was 1996–2002. The rest of the time were periods of no overall control. The council meets to decide policy and allocate budget. Its duties include setting levels of council tax
, monitoring the health service in Trafford, providing social care, and providing funding for schools. Jane Baugh is Mayor
of Trafford for 2011–12.
Trafford Council was assessed by the Audit Commission
and judged to be "improving strongly" in providing services for local people. Overall the council was awarded "three star" status meaning it was "performing well" and "consistently above minimum requirements", similar to 46% of all local authorities. In 2008–09, Trafford council had a budget of £150.5 million. This was collected from council tax
(57%) and government grants (43%). The council spent £31.8 million on children and young people's services (21%); £60.1 million on community services and social care (40%); £34.4 million on "prosperity, planning, and development" (23%); and £33.8 million on customer and corporate services (22%).
Civil parish
es form the bottom tier of local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism. In 2001, 8,484 people lived in Trafford's four civil parishes, 4.0% of the borough's population. The civil parishes are: Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington (Town), and Warburton; they were all previously part of Bucklow Rural District
. A rural district was a type of local government district for the administration of predominantly rural areas. The rest of Trafford is unparished
. The unparished areas are: Altrincham (Municipal Borough
), Bowdon (Urban District
), Hale (Urban District), Sale (Municipal Borough), Stretford (Municipal Borough), and Urmston (Urban District). The status of each area prior to 1974 is shown in brackets. An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area.
on a shield flanked by two unicorn
s. The line bisecting the shield horizontally symbolises the River Mersey
running through Trafford from east to west and the canals in the borough. The griffin is split into two parts; the lower part – the white legs of a lion on a red background – represent the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Massey family, and the upper part – the red body and head of an eagle on a white background – represents the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Traffords. Both elements were taken from the coats of arms of the respective families. The fist holding bolts of lightning represents Stretford and the electrical industry; the cog on the arm represents Altrincham's engineering industry. The unicorns stand for Sale and Altrincham. The oak branches represent Urmston and symbolise the rural areas of Trafford.
As of the 2001 UK census
, the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford had a total population of 210,145.
Of the 89,313 households in Trafford, 36.5% were married couples living together, 31.6% were one-person households, 7.8% were co-habiting
couples and 9.7% were lone parents, following a similar trend to the rest of England.
The population density was 1982 /km2 and for every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. Of those aged 16–74 in Trafford, 24.7% had no academic qualifications, significantly lower than the 28.9% in all of England. 8.2% of Trafford’s residents were born outside the United Kingdom, lower than the English average of 9.2%. The largest minority group was Asian, at 4.0% of the population.
In 1841, 12% of Trafford's population was middle class
compared to 14% in England and Wales; this increased to 21% in 1931 (15% nationally) and 55% in 2001 (48% nationally). From 1841 to 1951, the working class
population of Trafford and across the country was in decline, falling steadily from 43% to 18% (36% to 29% nationally). It has since increased slightly, up to 27% (26% nation-wide). The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers. As of the 2007/2008 financial year, the crime rates in Trafford for violence against a person and sexual offences were below the national averages. However, the rate of robberies were above the national average.
in 1849. The decrease by 7.7% in Trafford's population since the 1971 census mirrors the trend for Greater Manchester
, although on a smaller scale; this has been accounted for by the decline of Greater Manchester's industries, particularly those in Manchester
and Salford
but including those in Trafford, and residents leaving, seeking new jobs.
Historically, the economy of the Trafford area has been dominated by agriculture. This continued to some extent even during the Industrial Revolution
, when textile industry in the Trafford area did not develop as quickly or to the same extent as it did in the rest of Greater Manchester
. Only two known 18th-century mill sites are in Trafford, compared with 69 known in Tameside
and 51 in Manchester
. Despite reaching a high of 43% in 1812, employment in the textile industry in Trafford declined to 12% according to the 1851 census. The textile industry in Trafford could not compete with that in places such as Manchester
, Oldham
, and Ashton-under-Lyne
, partly because of a reluctance to invest in industry on the part of the two main land owners in the area: the Stamfords
and the de Traffords
.
Trafford Park
was founded in 1897, and at its peak in 1945 employed 75,000 people. As well as being the world's first planned industrial estate, it is Europe's largest business park. More than 1,400 companies are within the park, employing between 40,000 and 50,000 people. The Trafford Centre
, which opened on 10 September 1998, is North West England
's largest indoor shopping complex. The centre has over 30 million visitors annually, and contains 235 stores, 55 restaurants, and the largest Odeon
cinema in the UK.
Trafford is a prosperous area, with an average weekly income of £394, and apart from Manchester it is the only borough in Greater Manchester
to be above the national average for weekly income and is on average the highest in the county. Media, advertising and public relations have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in Manchester
and Trafford. Average house prices in Trafford are the highest out of all the metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, 45% higher than the average for the county.
As of the 2001 UK census, Trafford had 151,445 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.5% of these people were students with jobs, 5.7% looking after home or family, 5.4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.8% economically inactive for other reasons. Trafford has a low rate of unemployment (2.7%) compared with Greater Manchester (3.6%) and England as a whole (3.3%). Trafford has the lowest number of unemployment benefit claimants compared to all the other boroughs in Greater Manchester (3.7%).
In 2001, of 99,146 residents of Trafford in employment, the industry of employment was 17.1% property and business services, 16.5% retail and wholesale, 12.3% manufacturing, 11.9% health and social work, 8.2% education, 8.0% transport and communications, 5.9% construction, 5.5% finance, 4.5% public administration and defence, 4.0% hotels and restaurants, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.6% agriculture, and 4.6% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the proportion of jobs in agriculture which is less than half the national average, reflecting Trafford's suburban nature and its proximity to the centre of Manchester.
A study commissioned by Experian
rated Trafford as the strongest and most resilient borough in North West England
to dealing with sudden changes in the economy. Trafford's low reliance on vulnerable businesses in the current recession and its high proportion of multinational companies were two factors which give the borough its high ranking.
As of March 2007, Trafford has 6 Grade I
, 11 Grade II*, and 228 Grade II listed buildings. Trafford has the equal second highest number of Grade I listed buildings out of the districts of Greater Manchester
behind Manchester
. Most of Trafford's Grade I listed buildings are in the south of the borough: the old Church of St. Werburgh
in Warburton; Dunham Massey Hall
itself, and the stables and carriage house belonging to the hall; Royd House
in Hale; and the Church of All Saints
in Urmston in the north of the borough. Trafford has three of Greater Manchester’s 21 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Brookheys Covert is a semi-natural wood consisting mainly of ash, birch, and rowan, with a wetland habitat covering 5.8 acres (2.3 ha) in Dunham Massey
. Cotteril Clough is an area of woodland that is among the most diverse in Greater Manchester. Dunham Park is an area of “pasture-woodland or park-woodland” and has been since the Middle Ages, including many oak trees that date back to the 17th century, and covers 192.7 acres (78 ha). Also in Trafford are many parks and open spaces; there are 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²) of greenspace
, 51.8% of the total area covered by the borough. Tourist attractions in Trafford include Old Trafford football ground
and Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
Chill Factore
is an indoor ski slope
in Trafford Park. It features the UK's longest and widest real snow indoor slope, wide and long.
Dunham Massey Hall and Park
is an 18th-century hall with a 250 acres (1 km²) deer park, both now owned by the National Trust
and previously owned by the Earls of Stamford
. The hall is early Georgian
in style. The hall and grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction, with over 110,000 visitors in 2006.
Imperial War Museum North
is a war museum in Trafford Park and was opened in 2002. The museum won the 2003 British Construction Industry Building Award
, and the title of Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2006 Manchester Tourism Awards.
Sale Water Park
is a 152 acres (62 ha) area of countryside and parkland including a 52 acres (21 ha) artificial lake created when the M60 motorway
was built. The water park is the site of the Broad Ees Dole wildlife refuge, a Local Nature Reserve
that provides a home for migratory birds.
Timperley Old Hall
is a medieval moated site in Timperley near Altrincham Municipal Golf Course. Excavation on the site over a period of 18 years has shown Timperley to be inhabited since the Bronze Age
. A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has been made to develop the site into a community project.
Trafford has two medieval castles. Dunham Castle
is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey. It belonged to Hamon de Massey, and was probably still standing in the early 14th century. The bailey
was landscaped into the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall and its moat turned into an ornamental pond. Watch Hill Castle
is an early medieval motte-and-bailey
castle on the border of Dunham Massey and Bowdon. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
. The motte and surrounding ditch still survives, although it had fallen out of use by the 13th century.
and Lancashire County Cricket Club
(LCCC). Manchester United began as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878. The team plays at Old Trafford
football ground, which is sometimes used as a stadium for international matches. Manchester United have won the FA Cup
11 times and been the Premier League champions 12 times (since the league was formed 18 seasons ago) and were Football League champions seven times in the years prior to that. The club last won the Premier League in 2011. LCCC started as the Manchester Cricket Club, and represents the historic county
of Lancashire
. The club contested the original 1890 County Championship
. Old Trafford Cricket Ground – Lancashire's home ground – stages international matches, including Test matches
and One Day Internationals. The team has won the county championship eight times and in 2008 finished in fifth place.
Also in the top division of their sports are Sale Sharks
, who play rugby union
. From 2009, Manchester Phoenix
, who play home games at the Altrincham Ice Dome
, are members of the English Premier Ice Hockey League
. The club was formed in 2003 as the successor to Manchester Storm
and was one of the founder members of the Elite Ice Hockey League
. In 2008–09
they finished sixth in the Elite Ice Hockey League
. The Trafford Metros are the Phoenix's junior side and are also based at the Altrincham Ice Dome. Rugby Union
side Sale Sharks were formerly based in Trafford and although they now play at Edgeley Park
in Stockport
, they retain their name from when they were based at Heywood Road
in Sale; their former home-ground Road is still used as the team's training ground. Sale Sharks won the Guinness Premiership
in 2006; in 2008–09 they finished fifth.
As well as being home to several clubs in the top echelon of their sports, Trafford plays host to smaller clubs, including Altrincham F.C.
, Flixton F.C.
, and Trafford F.C.
. Both Flixton F.C. and Trafford F.C. play in the North West Counties Football League Division One. Flixton F.C. was formed in 1960 and earned promotion to NWCF Division One at the end of the 2006–07 season. Trafford F.C. was formed in 1990 and finished fifth in the 2006–07 season. Altrincham F.C. was founded in 1903 and plays in the Football Conference
.
Within Trafford two clubs play in the National Premier Division of the Adidas England Hockey League. The two clubs are represented in both the Men's Premier Division as well as the Women's Premier Division: Brooklands MU (Men) & Brooklands Poynton (Women) based at Brooklands Sports Club in Sale
and Bowdon (Men) & Bowdon Hightown (Women) based at Bowdon Sports Club in Bowdon
.
s, and 6 special schools. Trafford maintains a selective education system, with grammar schools, assessed by the Eleven Plus
exam. Trafford College
, a £29M "super college" in Stretford, is the only college of further education in Trafford. It was officially opened in 2008, following a merger between South Trafford College and North Trafford College. Overall, Trafford was ranked 3rd out of all of the Local Education Authorities in National Curriculum assessment
performance in 2007. Absences from Trafford secondary schools in 2006–07, authorised and unauthorised, were 5.6% and 0.8% respectively, both lower than the national average (6.4% and 1.4%). From the 2007 GCSE results, the Trafford LEA was ranked 5th out of 148 in the country – and first in Greater Manchester and the North West – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English (60.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%).
From the 2007 GCSE results and A-level results, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls was the most successful secondary school in Trafford, with 100% of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at A*–C grade including maths and English. At A-level, Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls was the 39th most successful school in the country. St. Ambrose College
is undergoing a £17M rebuild of the school on the current school grounds in Hale Barns.
As of the 2001 UK census, 75.8% of Trafford's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 3.3% Muslim, 1.1% Jewish, 0.6% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.5% Sikh. The census recorded 12.0% as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 6.4% did not state their religion. Trafford is covered by the Catholic Dioceses of Shrewsbury and Salford, and the Church of England Dioceses of Manchester
and Chester
.
There are two Grade I listed churches in Trafford: St. Werburgh's Church
, in Warburton, is a timber framed church and dates back to at least the 14th century; All Saints' Church
, in Urmston, was constructed in 1868 by E. W. Pugin
, and is considered to be one of his best works. Of the 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, seven are churches: Hale Chapel in Hale; the Church of St John the Divine in Sale; Church of St Mary the Virgin
in Bowdon; St. Martin's Church in Sale; St. Michael's Church in Flixton; St. Margaret’s Church in Altrincham; St. George’s Church in Carrington.
In 2007, the Church of Scientology
bought the Old Trafford Essence Distillery on Chester Road for a reported £3.6M. The Church stated that it had plans to turn the 51000 square feet (4,738.1 m²) Victorian
building into a place of worship and religious instruction. The original plans were rejected by Trafford Council, but the Church stated its intention to revise the proposals and resubmit.
The Manchester Metrolink
runs generally north–south through Trafford, with its southern terminus in Altrincham; it serves Cornbrook
, Trafford Bar
, Old Trafford
, Stretford
, Dane Road
, Sale
, Brooklands
, Timperley
, Navigation Road, and Altrincham. The line opened in 1992 and replaced the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
. The other railways in Trafford are the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
and the Cheshire Lines Committee
. The Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal was opened in 1993. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year.
The council is responsible for the maintenance of Trafford's roads and pavements. In November 2007, Trafford council announced an increased investment in "maintaining and improving the borough's highways" by £3M to £6.5M. The money will provide for the resurfacing of about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) of road. Part of the M60
orbital motorway passes through Trafford, from junctions 6–10 inclusive.
A range of bus services provide connections between various towns in the borough and links to the city centre, and other urban areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire. Operators include Stagecoach Manchester, Arriva North West
, Finglands as well as smaller operators, who generally run services under contract to GMPTE. Trafford Cycle Forum was established to promote cycling in Trafford; the group actively campaigns to raise money for cycling in the borough.
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has a population of 211,800, covers 41 square miles (106 km²), and includes the towns 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...
, Partington, 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...
, Stretford
Stretford
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 to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
, 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 borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by 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....
as a merger of the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
s of Altrincham, Sale
Municipal Borough of Sale
Sale was, from 1867 to 1974, a district in Cheshire, England. The district had in turn the status of local government district, urban district and municipal borough.-Local Board and Urban District:...
, and 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:...
, the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s of Bowdon
Bowdon, Greater Manchester
Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
, Hale
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....
, and Urmston
Urmston Urban District
Urmston Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England which covered the modern-day district of Urmston.The Urban District was created by the Local Government Act 1894...
and part of Bucklow Rural District
Bucklow Rural District
Bucklow Rural District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the north of the administrative county of Cheshire, England. Following the Local Government Act 1972, this rural district was split between the new Greater Manchester boroughs of Trafford and Manchester, and Macclesfield,...
. All were previously in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, apart from Stretford and Urmston which were in 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...
. 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....
flows through the borough, separating North Trafford from South Trafford. Historically the Mersey also acted as the boundary between the historic counties
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 and Cheshire.
The Trafford area has a long heritage, with evidence of 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...
, Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, and Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
activity. Amongst the relics of the past are two castles – one of them a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
– and over 200 listed buildings. The area underwent change in the late 19th century and the population rapidly expanded with the arrival of the railway. Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C.
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...
and 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...
and since 2002 the Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be...
.
Trafford has a strong economy with low levels of unemployment and contains both 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 and the Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and leisure complex situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, close to the Trafford Park industrial estate and approximately 5 miles from Manchester city centre. It is the highest valued shopping centre in the...
, a large out-of-town shopping centre. Apart from the City of Manchester, Trafford is the only borough in Greater Manchester to be above the national average for weekly income. Socially, the area includes both 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...
areas like Old Trafford and Stretford
Stretford
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 to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
and 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....
ones such as Bowdon
Bowdon, Greater Manchester
Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
and Hale
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....
. Altrincham and Sale West is one of the two parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester to be held by the Conservative Party
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...
, the other being Bury North
Bury North (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury North is a borough constituency in Greater Manchester, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
.
History
The choice of the name Trafford for the borough was a "compromise between Altrincham, Stretford and Sale", and "seemed to have wide support". A Liberal councillor for the Municipal Borough of SaleMunicipal Borough of Sale
Sale was, from 1867 to 1974, a district in Cheshire, England. The district had in turn the status of local government district, urban district and municipal borough.-Local Board and Urban District:...
suggested "Crossford ... whilst "Watlingford" was suggested by councillors in Hale, after the supposed name of an ancient 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...
in the district. Those names were rejected in favour of Trafford, because of the district's "famous sports venue, a major employer as well as historic associations", referring to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, 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...
and the de Trafford Baronets
De Trafford Baronets
The de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was restored after the Catholic Emancipation, by Royal Decree on 7 September 1841, for Thomas de Trafford...
respectively.
As a place name, Trafford is an Anglo-French
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
version of Stratford, deriving from the Old English words stræt (a street, more specifically a Roman road) and ford (a river crossing). The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford has existed since 1974, but the area it covers has a long history. 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...
arrowheads have been discovered in 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...
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...
, and there is evidence of Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
habitation in Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....
. Fragments of Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
pottery have been found in 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...
, and Roman coins have been found in Sale. The Roman road between the legionary
Legionary
The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Legionaries had to be Roman citizens under the age of 45. They enlisted in a legion for twenty-five years of service, a change from the early practice of enlisting only for a campaign...
fortresses
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
at 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...
(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...
) and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
(Eboracum
Eboracum
Eboracum was a fort and city in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into York, located in North Yorkshire, England.-Etymology:The first known recorded mention of Eboracum by name is dated circa 95-104 AD and is an address containing the Latin form of the settlement's name, "Eburaci", on a wooden...
) crosses Trafford, passing through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham. The settlements in Trafford have been based largely around agriculture, although Altrincham was probably founded as a market town. Although the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
affected Trafford, the area did not experience the same rate of growth as the rest of 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...
. A 100% increase in population in the Trafford area between 1841 and 1861 was a direct result of an influx due to the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
, which allowed residents to more easily commute from Trafford into Manchester. The area developed its own centres of industry in Broadheath
Broadheath, Greater Manchester
Broadheath is a suburb of Altrincham in Greater Manchester, England. It is historically part of the county of Cheshire and has a Warrington postcode.At Broadheath's height as an industrial area, the industries supported perhaps 12,000 employees...
(founded in 1885) and 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...
(founded in 1897). They have since declined, although Trafford Park still employs 40–50,000 people. Today, Trafford is mostly a commuter area. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by 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....
as one of the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester.
Geography
The metropolitan boroughs of the City of SalfordCity of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
and the City of Manchester border Trafford to the north and east respectively; the Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
area of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
lies to the south. The geology of South Trafford is Keuper marl
Keuper marl
Keuper marl is the former name for a layer of mudstones and siltstones from the late Triassic period . Typically red, or occasionally...
with some Keuper waterstone and sandstone, whilst the geology of North Trafford is Bunter sandstone
Bunter (geology)
Bunter beds are sandstone deposits containing rounded pebbles, such as can notably be found in Warwickshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Devon and Dorset in England...
. 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....
runs east to west through the area, separating North Trafford from South Trafford; other rivers in Trafford include the Bollin
River Bollin
The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream then descends the through Macclesfield and Wilmslow where...
, 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...
, Sinderland Brook, and Crofts Bank Brook. 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...
, opened in 1761 and completed in 1776, follows a course through Trafford roughly north to south and passes through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham. 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...
, opened in 1894, forms part of Trafford's northern and western boundaries with Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
.
Trafford is generally flat, with most of the land lying between 66 feet (20.1 m) and 98 feet (29.9 m) above sea level, apart from Bowdon Hill in South Trafford which rises 200 feet (61 m) above sea level. The lowest point in Trafford, near Warburton
Warburton, Greater Manchester
Warburton is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Cheshire, Warburton lies on the south bank of the River Mersey between the borough of Warrington and Greater Manchester. Today, the village remains...
, is 36 feet (11 m) above sea level. There are areas of mossland
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
in low lying areas: Warburton Moss, Dunham Moss, and Hale Moss. Greenspace
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
accounts for 51.8% of Trafford’s total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 25.6%, the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
Localities within the boundaries of Trafford include:
North Trafford: Cornbrook, Davyhulme
Davyhulme
Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston....
, 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:...
, Flixton
Flixton, Greater Manchester
Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.Flixton's present-day population is...
, Gorse Hill
Gorse Hill
Gorse Hill is a part of Stretford within the Trafford area in Greater Manchester, England. It is a residential area with two minor industrial estates on either side of the main A56 Chester Rd, which divides the two halves of the ward...
, Lostock, Old Trafford
Old Trafford, Manchester
Old Trafford is in Greater Manchester, England, which lies south-west of Manchester. The crossroads sites of two old toll gates roughly delineate the borders of the area: Brooks's Bar to the east and Trafford Bar to the west....
, Stretford
Stretford
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 to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
, 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...
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...
.
South Trafford: 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...
, Ashton-Upon-Mersey, Bowdon
Bowdon, Greater Manchester
Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
, Broadheath
Broadheath, Greater Manchester
Broadheath is a suburb of Altrincham in Greater Manchester, England. It is historically part of the county of Cheshire and has a Warrington postcode.At Broadheath's height as an industrial area, the industries supported perhaps 12,000 employees...
, Brooklands
Brooklands, Trafford
Brooklands is an area and electoral ward within Sale, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is to the south-southwest of Manchester city centre and has a total resident population of 9,773....
, Carrington
Carrington, Greater Manchester
Carrington is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Cheshire, the village is west of Greater Manchester Urban Area, and is the site of a large gas and chemical works, which produce gases by fractional distillation of...
, Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust...
, Hale
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....
, Hale Barns
Hale Barns
Hale Barns is an affluent village in Altrincham in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, Hale Barns lies about south of Manchester city centre, 2 miles west of Manchester Airport and close to the River Bollin...
, Oldfield Brow, Partington, 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...
, Sale Moor, Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....
, Warburton
Warburton, Greater Manchester
Warburton is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Cheshire, Warburton lies on the south bank of the River Mersey between the borough of Warrington and Greater Manchester. Today, the village remains...
and West Timperley.
Westminster
The residents of Trafford Metropolitan Borough are represented in the British Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for three separate parliamentary constituencies. Altrincham and Sale West is represented by Graham BradyGraham Brady
Graham Stuart Brady is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West. He served as a shadow minister for Europe under four Conservative leaders before resigning in 2007 in protest at David Cameron's opposition to grammar schools...
MP (Conservative
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...
). This is one of only a small number of seats in the North West held by the Conservative Party
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...
, and one of only two in Greater Manchester. Stretford and Urmston is represented by 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...
MP (Labour
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...
). Wythenshawe and Sale East, which also covers parts of the City of Manchester, is represented by Paul Goggins
Paul Goggins
Paul Gerard Goggins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wythenshawe and Sale East since 1997, and was a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office.-Early life:...
MP (Labour).
European Parliament
Trafford is part of the North West EnglandNorth West England (European Parliament constituency)
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For the 2009 elections it elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
constituency in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. North West England elects eight MEPs; as of the 2009 European elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, the region is represented made up of three Conservatives, two from the Labour Party, one Liberal Democrat
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...
, and one member of 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...
and one for the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.
Council
In 1974, Trafford Council was created to administer the newly formed Trafford Metropolitan Borough. Trafford's centre of administration is Trafford Town Hall – named Stretford Town Hall before 1974 – designated a Grade II listed building in 2007. On its formation in 1974, the council was controlled by the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
; the Conservatives have been in control 1973–85, 1988–94, and 2004 to the present. The only time 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...
was in control was 1996–2002. The rest of the time were periods of no overall control. The council meets to decide policy and allocate budget. Its duties include setting levels of council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
, monitoring the health service in Trafford, providing social care, and providing funding for schools. Jane Baugh is Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Trafford for 2011–12.
Trafford Council was assessed by the Audit Commission
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...
and judged to be "improving strongly" in providing services for local people. Overall the council was awarded "three star" status meaning it was "performing well" and "consistently above minimum requirements", similar to 46% of all local authorities. In 2008–09, Trafford council had a budget of £150.5 million. This was collected from council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
(57%) and government grants (43%). The council spent £31.8 million on children and young people's services (21%); £60.1 million on community services and social care (40%); £34.4 million on "prosperity, planning, and development" (23%); and £33.8 million on customer and corporate services (22%).
Civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
es form the bottom tier of local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism. In 2001, 8,484 people lived in Trafford's four civil parishes, 4.0% of the borough's population. The civil parishes are: Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington (Town), and Warburton; they were all previously part of Bucklow Rural District
Bucklow Rural District
Bucklow Rural District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the north of the administrative county of Cheshire, England. Following the Local Government Act 1972, this rural district was split between the new Greater Manchester boroughs of Trafford and Manchester, and Macclesfield,...
. A rural district was a type of local government district for the administration of predominantly rural areas. The rest of Trafford is unparished
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
. The unparished areas are: Altrincham (Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
), Bowdon (Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
), Hale (Urban District), Sale (Municipal Borough), Stretford (Municipal Borough), and Urmston (Urban District). The status of each area prior to 1974 is shown in brackets. An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area.
| Party | Seats | Current Council (2011–12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative 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... |
39 | 39 | 37 | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Labour 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... |
20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lib Dems | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Electoral wards
There are 21 electoral wards in Trafford, each with 3 councillors, giving a total of 63 councillors with one-third elected three years out of four. In the following table, the populations for each ward are based on 2006 population estimates.| Ward name | Localities covered (approximate) | Population | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Altrincham, Broadheath, and Oldfield Brow | 9,570 | |
| Ashton upon Mersey Ashton upon Mersey Ashton upon Mersey is an area of Sale in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, in the northwestern part of Sale, and is situated about south of Manchester city centre.... |
Ashton upon Mersey and Sale | 9,519 | |
| Bowdon Bowdon, Greater Manchester Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:... |
Altrincham, Bowdon, Dunham Massey Dunham Massey Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust... , and Warburton Warburton, Greater Manchester Warburton is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Cheshire, Warburton lies on the south bank of the River Mersey between the borough of Warrington and Greater Manchester. Today, the village remains... |
8,806 | |
| Broadheath Broadheath, Greater Manchester Broadheath is a suburb of Altrincham in Greater Manchester, England. It is historically part of the county of Cheshire and has a Warrington postcode.At Broadheath's height as an industrial area, the industries supported perhaps 12,000 employees... |
Altrincham, Broadheath, Sale, Timperley, and West Timperley | 10,601 | |
| Brooklands Brooklands, Trafford Brooklands is an area and electoral ward within Sale, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is to the south-southwest of Manchester city centre and has a total resident population of 9,773.... |
Brooklands and Sale | 9,773 | |
| Bucklow-St. Martins | Ashton upon Mersey, Carrington Carrington, Greater Manchester Carrington is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Cheshire, the village is west of Greater Manchester Urban Area, and is the site of a large gas and chemical works, which produce gases by fractional distillation of... , and Partington |
9,655 | |
| Clifford | Old Trafford Old Trafford Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:... |
10,106 | |
| Davyhulme East | Davyhulme Davyhulme Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston.... and Urmston |
10,414 | |
| Davyhulme West | Davyhulme and Flixton | 9,595 | |
| Flixton Flixton, Greater Manchester Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.Flixton's present-day population is... |
Flixton | 10,796 | |
| Gorse Hill Gorse Hill Gorse Hill is a part of Stretford within the Trafford area in Greater Manchester, England. It is a residential area with two minor industrial estates on either side of the main A56 Chester Rd, which divides the two halves of the ward... |
Gorse Hill and Stretford | 10,306 | |
| Hale Barns Hale Barns Hale Barns is an affluent village in Altrincham in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, Hale Barns lies about south of Manchester city centre, 2 miles west of Manchester Airport and close to the River Bollin... |
Hale Hale, Greater Manchester Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester.... , Hale Barns and Timperley |
9,143 | |
| Hale Central | Altrincham and Hale | 9,100 | |
| Longford | 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:... , Old Trafford, and Stretford |
11,357 | |
| Priory | Sale | 9,439 | |
| St. Mary's | Ashton upon Mersey and Sale | 11,160 | |
| Sale Moor | Sale and Sale Moor | 9,899 | |
| Stretford Stretford 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 to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham... |
Stretford | 10,334 | |
| Timperley Timperley Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester.... |
Brooklands and Timperley | 10,666 | |
| 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... |
Flixton and Urmston | 10,159 | |
| Village | Brooklands and Timperley | 9,747 | |
| Trafford | All | 211,800 | |
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Trafford Council depicts a griffinGriffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
on a shield flanked by two unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s. The line bisecting the shield horizontally symbolises 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....
running through Trafford from east to west and the canals in the borough. The griffin is split into two parts; the lower part – the white legs of a lion on a red background – represent the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Massey family, and the upper part – the red body and head of an eagle on a white background – represents the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Traffords. Both elements were taken from the coats of arms of the respective families. The fist holding bolts of lightning represents Stretford and the electrical industry; the cog on the arm represents Altrincham's engineering industry. The unicorns stand for Sale and Altrincham. The oak branches represent Urmston and symbolise the rural areas of Trafford.
Demography
| 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.... |
Trafford | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 210,145 | 2,514,757 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 91.6% | 91.2% | 90.9% |
| Asian | 4.0% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| Black | 2.0% | 1.2% | 2.3% |
As of 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 Metropolitan Borough of Trafford had a total population of 210,145.
Of the 89,313 households in Trafford, 36.5% were married couples living together, 31.6% were one-person households, 7.8% were co-habiting
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
couples and 9.7% were lone parents, following a similar trend to the rest of England.
The population density was 1982 /km2 and for every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. Of those aged 16–74 in Trafford, 24.7% had no academic qualifications, significantly lower than the 28.9% in all of England. 8.2% of Trafford’s residents were born outside the United Kingdom, lower than the English average of 9.2%. The largest minority group was Asian, at 4.0% of the population.
In 1841, 12% of Trafford'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....
compared to 14% in England and Wales; this increased to 21% in 1931 (15% nationally) and 55% in 2001 (48% nationally). From 1841 to 1951, the 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...
population of Trafford and across the country was in decline, falling steadily from 43% to 18% (36% to 29% nationally). It has since increased slightly, up to 27% (26% nation-wide). The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers. As of the 2007/2008 financial year, the crime rates in Trafford for violence against a person and sexual offences were below the national averages. However, the rate of robberies were above the national average.
Population change
The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last census 10 years earlier. Although Trafford has only existed as a Metropolitan Borough since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of Trafford. The greatest percentage change in the population occurred between 1851 and 1871, and was a result of the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham RailwayManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
in 1849. The decrease by 7.7% in Trafford's population since the 1971 census mirrors the trend for Greater Manchester
Demography of Greater Manchester
The demography of Greater Manchester is characterised by a number of trends recorded amongst its multicultural agglomoration of 2.55 million people, as part of census returns and other systems of measurement used in the English metropolitan county....
, although on a smaller scale; this has been accounted for by the decline of Greater Manchester's industries, particularly those in 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...
and Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
but including those in Trafford, and residents leaving, seeking new jobs.
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,760 | 11,197 | 12,697 | 13,725 | 17,474 | 21,896 | 35,588 | 49,280 | 62,971 | 76,672 | 94,830 | 117,289 | 135,163 | 155,760 | 178,385 | 204,302 | 215,714 | 227,792 | 221,000 | 215,785 | 210,145 |
| % change | – | +14.7 | +13.4 | +8.1 | +27.3 | +25.3 | +62.5 | +38.5 | +27.8 | +21.8 | +23.7 | +23.7 | +15.2 | +15.2 | +14.5 | +14.5 | +5.6 | +5.6 | −3.0 | −2.4 | −2.6 |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through Time | |||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, when textile industry in the Trafford area did not develop as quickly or to the same extent as it did in the rest of 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...
. Only two known 18th-century mill sites are in Trafford, compared with 69 known in Tameside
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after the River Tame which flows through the borough and spans the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Its western...
and 51 in 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...
. Despite reaching a high of 43% in 1812, employment in the textile industry in Trafford declined to 12% according to the 1851 census. The textile industry in Trafford could not compete with that in places such as 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...
, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, and Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, partly because of a reluctance to invest in industry on the part of the two main land owners in the area: the Stamfords
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
and the de Traffords
De Trafford Baronets
The de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was restored after the Catholic Emancipation, by Royal Decree on 7 September 1841, for Thomas de Trafford...
.
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...
was founded in 1897, and at its peak in 1945 employed 75,000 people. As well as being the world's first planned industrial estate, it is Europe's largest business park. More than 1,400 companies are within the park, employing between 40,000 and 50,000 people. The Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and leisure complex situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, close to the Trafford Park industrial estate and approximately 5 miles from Manchester city centre. It is the highest valued shopping centre in the...
, which opened on 10 September 1998, is North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
's largest indoor shopping complex. The centre has over 30 million visitors annually, and contains 235 stores, 55 restaurants, and the largest Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
cinema in the UK.
| 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.... |
Trafford | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population of working age | 151,445 | 1,805,315 | 35,532,091 |
| Full time employment | 43.4% | 40.3% | 40.8% |
| Part time employment | 11.9% | 11.3% | 11.8% |
| Self employed | 8.0% | 6.7% | 8.3% |
| Unemployed | 2.7% | 3.5% | 3.3% |
| Retired | 13.9% | 13.0% | 13.5% |
Trafford is a prosperous area, with an average weekly income of £394, and apart from Manchester it is the only borough 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...
to be above the national average for weekly income and is on average the highest in the county. Media, advertising and public relations have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in 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...
and Trafford. Average house prices in Trafford are the highest out of all the metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, 45% higher than the average for the county.
As of the 2001 UK census, Trafford had 151,445 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.5% of these people were students with jobs, 5.7% looking after home or family, 5.4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.8% economically inactive for other reasons. Trafford has a low rate of unemployment (2.7%) compared with Greater Manchester (3.6%) and England as a whole (3.3%). Trafford has the lowest number of unemployment benefit claimants compared to all the other boroughs in Greater Manchester (3.7%).
In 2001, of 99,146 residents of Trafford in employment, the industry of employment was 17.1% property and business services, 16.5% retail and wholesale, 12.3% manufacturing, 11.9% health and social work, 8.2% education, 8.0% transport and communications, 5.9% construction, 5.5% finance, 4.5% public administration and defence, 4.0% hotels and restaurants, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.6% agriculture, and 4.6% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the proportion of jobs in agriculture which is less than half the national average, reflecting Trafford's suburban nature and its proximity to the centre of Manchester.
A study commissioned by Experian
Experian
Experian plc, formerly known as CCN Systems, is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries. The company employs 15,500 people with corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and operational headquarters in Nottingham, England and Costa Mesa, California, US...
rated Trafford as the strongest and most resilient borough in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
to dealing with sudden changes in the economy. Trafford's low reliance on vulnerable businesses in the current recession and its high proportion of multinational companies were two factors which give the borough its high ranking.
Landmarks
Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester
-See also:*Architecture of Manchester*Conservation in the United Kingdom*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester*List of tallest buildings in Manchester*Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester-Bibliography:...
, 11 Grade II*, and 228 Grade II listed buildings. Trafford has the equal second highest number of Grade I listed buildings out of the districts of 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...
behind 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...
. Most of Trafford's Grade I listed buildings are in the south of the borough: the old Church of St. Werburgh
St Werburgh's Church, Warburton
St Werburgh's Church, Warburton is the name of two separate churches in the village of Warburton, Greater Manchester, England. The older church is located to the west of the village, and may date back as far as the middle of the 13th century. It is now a redundant church but services are held...
in Warburton; Dunham Massey Hall
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust...
itself, and the stables and carriage house belonging to the hall; Royd House
Royd House
Royd House is a Grade I listed building in Hale, Greater Manchester. It was designed by architect Edgar Wood as his own home and was built between 1914 and 1916. The building is regarded as one of the most advanced examples of early twentieth century domestic architecture...
in Hale; and the Church of All Saints
All Saints' Church, Urmston
All Saints' Church is a Roman Catholic church in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England, and is located on Redclyffe Road . The church was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and was designed by E. W. Pugin in the Gothic Revival style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford...
in Urmston in the north of the borough. Trafford has three of Greater Manchester’s 21 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Brookheys Covert is a semi-natural wood consisting mainly of ash, birch, and rowan, with a wetland habitat covering 5.8 acres (2.3 ha) in Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust...
. Cotteril Clough is an area of woodland that is among the most diverse in Greater Manchester. Dunham Park is an area of “pasture-woodland or park-woodland” and has been since the Middle Ages, including many oak trees that date back to the 17th century, and covers 192.7 acres (78 ha). Also in Trafford are many parks and open spaces; there are 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²) of greenspace
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
, 51.8% of the total area covered by the borough. Tourist attractions in Trafford include Old Trafford football ground
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
and Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
Chill Factore
Chill Factore
Chill Factore, commonly pronounced as either "Chill Factor" or "Chill Factory", is a £31M real snow indoor ski centre located in the Trafford Park area of Manchester, United Kingdom...
is an indoor ski slope
Indoor ski slope
Indoor ski slopes are found in several countries, proving a climate controlled environment can be maintained in which snow can be manufactured using a snow cannon, enabling skiing and snowboarding to take place year-round.-Notable mentions:...
in Trafford Park. It features the UK's longest and widest real snow indoor slope, wide and long.
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust...
is an 18th-century hall with a 250 acres (1 km²) deer park, both now owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and previously owned by the Earls of Stamford
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
. The hall is early Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
in style. The hall and grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction, with over 110,000 visitors in 2006.
Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be...
is a war museum in Trafford Park and was opened in 2002. The museum won the 2003 British Construction Industry Building Award
British Construction Industry Awards
The British Construction Industry Awards were launched by the New Civil Engineer magazine and Thomas Telford Ltd - both owned by the Institution of Civil Engineers - in 1998....
, and the title of Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2006 Manchester Tourism Awards.
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...
is a 152 acres (62 ha) area of countryside and parkland including a 52 acres (21 ha) artificial lake created when the M60 motorway
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...
was built. The water park is the site of the Broad Ees Dole wildlife refuge, a Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
that provides a home for migratory birds.
Timperley Old Hall
Timperley Hall
Timperley Hall was a moated manor house in Timperley, Greater Manchester, England, first recorded in 1560, but almost certainly built to replace an earlier medieval structure. Very little remains of the 16th-century Hall, which is not shown on the Tithe map of 1838. The date of the Hall's...
is a medieval moated site in Timperley near Altrincham Municipal Golf Course. Excavation on the site over a period of 18 years has shown Timperley to be inhabited since the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has been made to develop the site into a community project.
Trafford has two medieval castles. Dunham Castle
Dunham Castle
Dunham Castle is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey, England . The castle is first referred to in 1173, in a document stating Hamo de Masci held the castles of Dunham and Ullerwood. Documentary evidence suggests the castle at Dunham was still standing in 1323. The castle fell into disuse...
is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey. It belonged to Hamon de Massey, and was probably still standing in the early 14th century. The bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
was landscaped into the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall and its moat turned into an ornamental pond. Watch Hill Castle
Watch Hill Castle
Watch Hill Castle is an early medieval motte-and-bailey on the border of Bowdon and Dunham Massey, England. It is the only Scheduled Ancient Monument in Trafford, and so is arguably the most important archaeological site in the borough...
is an early medieval motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle on the border of Dunham Massey and Bowdon. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
. The motte and surrounding ditch still survives, although it had fallen out of use by the 13th century.
Sport
Trafford is the home of several major sports teams, including 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...
and 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...
(LCCC). Manchester United began as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878. The team plays at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
football ground, which is sometimes used as a stadium for international matches. Manchester United have won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
11 times and been the Premier League champions 12 times (since the league was formed 18 seasons ago) and were Football League champions seven times in the years prior to that. The club last won the Premier League in 2011. LCCC started as the Manchester Cricket Club, and represents the historic county
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...
. The club contested the original 1890 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. Old Trafford Cricket Ground – Lancashire's home ground – stages international matches, including Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and One Day Internationals. The team has won the county championship eight times and in 2008 finished in fifth place.
Also in the top division of their sports are Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
, who play rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. From 2009, Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
, who play home games at the Altrincham Ice Dome
Altrincham Ice Dome
Altrincham Ice Dome is an ice rink in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It has 2,000 seats according to the rink website, and up to 500 standing places. despite this, the building has a capacity capped at 2,000 for ice hockey as standing around the plexi glass is not allowed in the...
, are members of the English Premier Ice Hockey League
English Premier Ice Hockey League
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association...
. The club was formed in 2003 as the successor to Manchester Storm
Manchester Storm
The Manchester Storm were an ice hockey team from Manchester, England. The team formed in 1995, playing their home games at the then newly built Nynex Arena . Storm won the British Hockey League Division One in their first season, watched by an average crowd of 6,342...
and was one of the founder members of the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
. In 2008–09
2008–09 EIHL season
The 2008–09 EIHL season was the sixth season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. It began in September 2008 and ran through to April 2009. The ten clubs in the League competed for 4 different competitions: the Elite League, the Play-Offs, the Challenge Cup, and the Knockout Cup. The winners of...
they finished sixth in the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
. The Trafford Metros are the Phoenix's junior side and are also based at the Altrincham Ice Dome. Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
side Sale Sharks were formerly based in Trafford and although they now play at Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, they retain their name from when they were based at Heywood Road
Heywood Road
Heywood Road is a rugby union stadium in Sale, Greater Manchester. It has been the home ground of Sale F.C. since 1905. It was the home ground of spin-off professional club Sale Sharks until 2003, when the club moved it's matches to Edgeley Park, Stockport. It's capacity was 5,400 in 2003. Sale...
in Sale; their former home-ground Road is still used as the team's training ground. Sale Sharks won the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
in 2006; in 2008–09 they finished fifth.
As well as being home to several clubs in the top echelon of their sports, Trafford plays host to smaller clubs, including Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham Football Club is an English association football club from Altrincham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Conference North, having been relegated from the Conference National at the end of the 2010–11 season.-History:...
, Flixton F.C.
Flixton F.C.
Flixton F.C. are an English football club based in Flixton, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division and are members of the Manchester Football Association. They play their home games at Valley Road in Flixton.-History:The club was formed...
, and Trafford F.C.
Trafford F.C.
Trafford F.C. is an English football club based in Flixton, Greater Manchester. The club are currently members of Division One North of the Northern Premier League and play at Shawe View.-History:...
. Both Flixton F.C. and Trafford F.C. play in the North West Counties Football League Division One. Flixton F.C. was formed in 1960 and earned promotion to NWCF Division One at the end of the 2006–07 season. Trafford F.C. was formed in 1990 and finished fifth in the 2006–07 season. Altrincham F.C. was founded in 1903 and plays in the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
.
Within Trafford two clubs play in the National Premier Division of the Adidas England Hockey League. The two clubs are represented in both the Men's Premier Division as well as the Women's Premier Division: Brooklands MU (Men) & Brooklands Poynton (Women) based at Brooklands Sports Club in 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 Bowdon (Men) & Bowdon Hightown (Women) based at Bowdon Sports Club in Bowdon
Bowdon, Greater Manchester
Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
.
Education
There are 73 primary schools in Trafford, 17 secondary and grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s, and 6 special schools. Trafford maintains a selective education system, with grammar schools, assessed by the Eleven Plus
Eleven 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...
exam. Trafford College
Trafford College
Trafford College is a further education college in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.It was formed with the merger of North Trafford College and South Trafford College in 2007. The college has four branches...
, a £29M "super college" in Stretford, is the only college of further education in Trafford. It was officially opened in 2008, following a merger between South Trafford College and North Trafford College. Overall, Trafford was ranked 3rd out of all of the Local Education Authorities in National Curriculum assessment
National Curriculum assessment
National Curriculum assessments are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools in England...
performance in 2007. Absences from Trafford secondary schools in 2006–07, authorised and unauthorised, were 5.6% and 0.8% respectively, both lower than the national average (6.4% and 1.4%). From the 2007 GCSE results, the Trafford LEA was ranked 5th out of 148 in the country – and first in Greater Manchester and the North West – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English (60.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%).
From the 2007 GCSE results and A-level results, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls was the most successful secondary school in Trafford, with 100% of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at A*–C grade including maths and English. At A-level, Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls was the 39th most successful school in the country. St. Ambrose College
St. Ambrose College
St. Ambrose College is a leading state Voluntary Aided, Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school located in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946. In 2005, St Ambrose College became a mathematics and computing college and the school is today...
is undergoing a £17M rebuild of the school on the current school grounds in Hale Barns.
Religion
| 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.... |
Trafford | North West England North West England North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East... |
England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 210,145 | 6,729,764 | 49,138,831 |
| Christian | 75.8% | 78.0% | 71.7% |
| Muslim | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Jewish | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| No religion | 12.0% | 10.5% | 14.6% |
As of the 2001 UK census, 75.8% of Trafford's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 3.3% Muslim, 1.1% Jewish, 0.6% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.5% Sikh. The census recorded 12.0% as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 6.4% did not state their religion. Trafford is covered by the Catholic Dioceses of Shrewsbury and Salford, and the Church of England Dioceses 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:...
and Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
.
There are two Grade I listed churches in Trafford: St. Werburgh's Church
St Werburgh's Church, Warburton
St Werburgh's Church, Warburton is the name of two separate churches in the village of Warburton, Greater Manchester, England. The older church is located to the west of the village, and may date back as far as the middle of the 13th century. It is now a redundant church but services are held...
, in Warburton, is a timber framed church and dates back to at least the 14th century; All Saints' Church
All Saints' Church, Urmston
All Saints' Church is a Roman Catholic church in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England, and is located on Redclyffe Road . The church was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and was designed by E. W. Pugin in the Gothic Revival style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford...
, in Urmston, was constructed in 1868 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...
, and is considered to be one of his best works. Of the 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, seven are churches: Hale Chapel in Hale; the Church of St John the Divine in Sale; Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon is in the village of Bowdon near Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
in Bowdon; St. Martin's Church in Sale; St. Michael's Church in Flixton; St. Margaret’s Church in Altrincham; St. George’s Church in Carrington.
In 2007, the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
bought the Old Trafford Essence Distillery on Chester Road for a reported £3.6M. The Church stated that it had plans to turn the 51000 square feet (4,738.1 m²) Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
building into a place of worship and religious instruction. The original plans were rejected by Trafford Council, but the Church stated its intention to revise the proposals and resubmit.
Transport
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...
runs generally north–south through Trafford, with its southern terminus in Altrincham; it serves Cornbrook
Cornbrook Metrolink station
Cornbrook Metrolink station is located on the north side of Cornbrook Road between the A56 Chester Road dual carriageway and Pomona Docks on the Manchester Ship Canal. It is built on the former Cheshire Lines Committee approach to Manchester Central....
, Trafford Bar
Trafford Bar Metrolink station
Trafford Bar Metrolink Station serves the areas of Old Trafford and Whalley Range in Greater Manchester and lies at the junction of Talbot Road and Seymour Grove, it is also one of several stops used for Old Trafford Stadium and thus one of the busier on the line. Once the current construction of...
, Old Trafford
Old Trafford Metrolink station
Old Trafford Metrolink station is a station on the Metrolink light rail network in Greater Manchester, England. It is located on Warwick Road and Elsinore Road and serves Firswood, Old Trafford and Stretford....
, Stretford
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....
, Dane Road
Dane Road Metrolink station
Dane Road station is located on Dane Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, England. The station is in Ticketing Zone F.-History:The station originally opened on 20 July 1931 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway . Referred to as Dane Road on early tickets, timetables etc.. Operated...
, Sale
Sale Metrolink station
Sale Metrolink Station is located on Northenden Road in Sale. There is a park and ride facility for passengers using the Manchester Metrolink system. The station is in Ticketing Zone F.-History:...
, Brooklands
Brooklands Metrolink station
Brooklands is a Manchester Metrolink station serving the Brooklands area of Sale, Greater Manchester. It is located on Brooklands Station Approach at the corner of Marsland Road and Brooklands Road. The station is in Ticketing Zone F.-History:...
, Timperley
Timperley Metrolink station
Timperley Metrolink station serves the town of Timperley in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It is located on Park Road. The station is in Ticketing Zone G.-History:...
, Navigation Road, and Altrincham. The line opened in 1992 and replaced the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
. The other railways in Trafford are the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
and the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
. The Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal was opened in 1993. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year.
The council is responsible for the maintenance of Trafford's roads and pavements. In November 2007, Trafford council announced an increased investment in "maintaining and improving the borough's highways" by £3M to £6.5M. The money will provide for the resurfacing of about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) of road. Part 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...
orbital motorway passes through Trafford, from junctions 6–10 inclusive.
A range of bus services provide connections between various towns in the borough and links to the city centre, and other urban areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire. Operators include Stagecoach Manchester, Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
, Finglands as well as smaller operators, who generally run services under contract to GMPTE. Trafford Cycle Forum was established to promote cycling in Trafford; the group actively campaigns to raise money for cycling in the borough.
See also
- Trafford Council election, 2011Trafford Council election, 2011Elections to Trafford Council was held on 5 May 2011. One third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate serving four-year term of office, expiring in 2015...
- Trafford Council election, 2007Trafford Council election, 2007Elections to Trafford Council were held on 4 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a four-year term of office, expiring in 2011. The Conservative Party retained overall control of the council....
- Trafford local electionsTrafford local elections-Political control:Political control of the unitary authority has been held by the following parties:The council comprises 63 councillors who represent the borough and its residents...
External links
- www.trafford.gov.uk, Trafford Council.
- www.trafford.nhs.uk, Trafford NHS website.