Trafford, Greater Manchester – Quick Guide
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is an area of great contrasts. The Borough stretches from the leafy suburbs in the south and continues north to urban central Manchester and to Trafford Park, Manchester’s industrial core.
The area is home to around 210,000 people. Unlike many other Boroughs in Greater Manchester, the Trafford Metropolitan area does not have a single town that dominates, although Altrincham, Sale, Stretford, Trafford Park and Urmston are perhaps the best known parts of Traford.
The river Mersey flows through the area dividing it in two. On the north side there are areas such as Cornbrook, Davyhulme, Firswood, Flixton, Gorse Hill, Lostock, Old Trafford, Stretford, Trafford Park and Urmston. On the south side of the river there many areas including Altrincham, Ashton-Upon-Mersey, Bowdon, Broadheath, Brooklands, Carrington, Dunham Massey, Hale, Hale Barns, Oldfield Brow, Partington, Sale, Sale Moor, Timperley, Warburton and West Timperley.
There is lots to see and do in Trafford.
Trafford is home to some of the most famous sports grounds in the world, with Manchester United F.C.’s home ground and the Lancashire County Cricket Club both located in Old Trafford. Manchester’s Ice Hockey team Manchester Phoenix, is located in Altrincham, formerly home to Sale Sharks, although their base is now in Stockport.
The Imperial War Museum North is located in Trafford Park, on the the south side of Salford Quays. The museum is housed in an award winning building designed by international architect Daniel Libeskind whose work includes the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, the Felix Nussbaum Haus in Osnabruck, Germany and the Wohl Centre at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Trafford is home to the Trafford Centre, one of the United Kingdom’s largest shopping centres. It has in the region of 300 shops, cafes, fast food outlets and restaurants. Car parking is free and the centre is well connected by public transport. The Metrolink Shuttle Bus links Stretford Metrolink Station to The Trafford Centre.
