Stretford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stretford | |
|
  Stretford shown within Greater Manchester |
|
| Population | 42,103 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Trafford |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.[1] It lies about four miles to the southwest of Manchester City Centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. The origin of the name Stretford is 'street' 'on a ford', the ford across the River Mersey.[2]
The town of Stretford neighbours Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Urmston, Old Trafford, Salford and Sale, and lies on the Bridgewater Canal.
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[edit] Geography and administration
Stretford was anciently a chapelry in the parish of Manchester. It became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894 and became a municipal borough in 1933. In 1974, as part of the Local Government Act 1972 Stretford became part of the metropolitan borough of Trafford of Greater Manchester. Trafford stretches from Old Trafford in the north to Sale in the south. Stretford is home to Trafford Council Town Hall and the Greater Manchester Police Headquarters.
[edit] Politics
Since 1997 Stretford has been in the constituency of Stretford and Urmston. Before 1997 Stretford was a parliamentary constituency in its own right, returning the following members of parliament between 1945 and 1997, when the constituency was merged with Urmston.[3]
- 1983 - 1997 : A.J. Lloyd, Labour
- 1970 - 1983 : W.S. Churchill, Conservative
- 1966 - 1970 : E.A. Davies, Labour
- 1950 - 1966 : S. Storey, Conservative
- 1945 - 1950 : H.L. Austin, Labour
[edit] History
Stretford in the nineteenth century was an agricultural village famous for its pig market and the production of black puddings, leading to the town being given the nickname 'Porkhampton'.[4] By 1825 it was reported that six hundred animals a week were being killed for Manchester.
[edit] Present day
[edit] Shopping
The main shopping centre in the town is 'Stretford Mall' in the centre of Stretford. Stretford Mall was previously called 'Stretford Arndale' (the first Arndale centre in the North West), the name was changed in late 2003 to reflect the new developments taking place inside.
To the north west of Stretford is The Trafford Centre, a large shopping and leisure complex that opened in September 1998. Frequent shuttle buses run between Stretford Metrolink tram station and The Trafford Centre, about 10 minutes away.
[edit] Parks
Heading towards Chorlton but staying within the borders of Stretford is Longford Park, once the home of John Rylands. Its hall was demolished in 1995 after an unsuccessful attempt to save it from demolition. Today only the front porch, the coach house and the stable buildings remain. Longford Park is the largest park in Trafford at 22 hectares. It includes a zoo, botanical garden, bowling greens and children's play areas. Longford Park is also the finishing point of the annual Stretford pageant, which has been held since 1919.
[edit] Education
Along with the rest of Trafford, Stretford maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven Plus exam.
There are numerous primary schools, including Barton Clough Primary, Gorse Hill Primary School, Moss Park Junior School, St. Matthew's, St Hugh of Lincoln RC, St Anns RC and Victoria Park. There is also Stretford Grammar School, Stretford High and Lostock High school.
[edit] Transport
Transport links are very good; buses are as common as in many other areas of Manchester.
Stretford has its own Metrolink tram station on the Altrincham to Bury line, convenient for Manchester city centre and beyond. The town also has good access to the motorway network, being located next to junction 7 of the M60. The A56 gives easy access to the south as well as to Manchester city centre in the other direction. Cycle paths exist as part of the Trafford cycle initiative.
Manchester Airport, the largest UK airport outside London, is situated approximately nine miles to the south of Stretford.
The Bridgewater Canal runs through Stretford (parallel to the tram tracks), and is navigable by pleasure craft.
[edit] Technology
The 'Stretford Process' was invented by Tom Nicklin of the North Western Gas Board in the early 1960s. This process cleaned up sour gas by removing the hydrogen sulphide. It was licensed by NWGB and then British Gas and plants built worldwide. The first USA plant in Long Beach, California is commemorated by a plaque outside the refinery, near to the Queen Mary.
[edit] Sport
Stretford has been the home of Manchester United Football Club since 1910, when the club moved to its present Old Trafford ground, one end of which is still unofficially called the Stretford End.
Lancashire County Cricket Club has its 'Old Trafford' ground on Talbot Road, Stretford, where it's been since 1856.
Stretford Stadium, adjoining Longford Park, is the home of Trafford Athletic Club. Trafford is one of the UK's top athletic clubs, with over 100 members having competed at international level.[5]
The Stretford Leisure Centre is situated outside Stretford town centre towards Old Trafford and features a 25 metre pool, a children's pool, a gym and several other sporting facilities.
The Trafford Water Sports Centre lies just across Stretford's southern border with Sale, about one mile from Stretford town centre.
[edit] Music
At Great Stone Road, the current B&Q store was once the Hardrock/village rock venue which during the seventies hosted most of the decade's major artists in their prime, including Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Elton John, Hawkwind, Yes, Chaka Khan, Deep Purple, Curved Air and Lou Reed,
[edit] Notable residents
- Morrissey, front man of 80s alternative rock group The Smiths.
- Ian McShane and Peter Noone were pupils at Stretford Grammar school.
- Jay Kay, lead singer and songwriter of Jamiroquai.
- John Rylands, industrialist and philanthropist.
- John Holker, one of the world's first industrial espionage agents and a Jacobite spy for the French was born in Stretford in 1719.[6][7]
- Edward (Ned) Painter, a popular pugilist of the early 19th century was born in Stretford in 1784.[8]
- L. S. Lowry was born in Stretford in 1887.[9]
- Ernest Marples, UK Conservative Minister of transport from 1959 to 1964, responsible for introducing parking meters, yellow no-parking lines and motorways, was a pupil of Stretford Grammar School.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ "Official British Place Name Archives - Stretford", Greater Manchester County Records Office - Retreived October 19, 2006
- ^ Local place names explained (HTTP). Eyewitness in Manchester. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ Kimber, Richard. UK General Elections since 1832 (HTTP). Political Science Resources. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
- ^ Stretford Area (HTTP). Trafford Council. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
- ^ Trafford Athletic Club (HTTP). Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (HTTP). The Packard Humanities Institute. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
- ^ Aspects of the Industrial Revolution in Britain (HTTP). Industrial Technology Transfer Between Britain and France in the Eighteenth Century. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
- ^ G. C. Boase, rev. Julian Lock "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press, 2007
- ^ Mervyn Levy, rev. Julian Spalding "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press, 2007
- ^ D. J. Dutton "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press, 2007
