Trafford Park History
World War Memorial from Metropolitan Vickers
The Heritage Centre was developed as part of the Centre's contribution to understanding the history of the people who worked and lived within the industrial estate where the main Centre is located.
Trafford Park, part of the ancestral home of the De Trafford family was a originally a very beautiful park and farm land stretching for 1183 acres. At its heart was the Hall which boasted over 40 bedrooms, servants quarters and a private chapel. Unfortunately, the hall was destroyed in the blitz of 1940.
In 1882, discussions began as proposals were put forward for the creation of a large waterway running through the area which was to be known as the Manchester Ship Canal. Sir Humphrey De Trafford opposed these plans as he feared the boundaries of the Park would be affected and pollution in the area would be increased. However, the successor to Sir Humphrey was not so opposed and sold off various parts of the land to the Ship Canal Company. The land was sold in 1894 and became the property of Trafford Park Estates which was established in 1896. The Estates Company created Europe's first purpose built industrial estate and the area was very appealing to companies who had to transport and distribute large, bulky items.
At its peak in 1945, the park employed 75,000 workers however this number gradually declined until the 1980's when trade was barely existant in the area.
By 1987, the Trafford Park Development Corporation had been set up with the aim of developing the area into a thriving place for business. Major companies in the area now include Kellogs, AKW, DHL, Altus Edwin and Gamma Telecom.
As of 2008, there were an estimated 1400 companies in the Park employing over 35,000 people.