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GUIDES & RESOURCES
- Interactive map: Trafford Blue Plaques
- The First World War in Trafford - Research Database
- Trafford History Trails
- Guide: Research your British Ancestors using Ancestry
- Guide: Research your Caribbean Ancestors using Ancestry
- Guide: Research your Irish Ancestors using Ancestry
- Guide: Research the History of your House
- Guide: Organising your Family History Research
- Guide: Understanding census records
- 'Get to Know Your Grandparent(s)!' Children's Interview Activity Sheet
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Browse Exhibits (21 total)
Trafford on Screen
Trafford is the star of the show as we take you on a tour of filming locations in the borough.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day encourages remembrance of the six million Jews and millions of others who lost their lives at the hands of Nazi persecution. The 27 January was chosen as this date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in 1945.
Trafford Local Studies have searched for local connections to the Holocaust, to both aid remembrance and acknowledge this dark moment in history.
Remembering the Manchester Blitz
Between August 1940 and May 1941, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) inflicted heavy and frequent bombing attacks on British cities, ports, and industrial areas. The campaign became known as the ‘blitz’: a term first used by the British press and a shortening of the German blitzkrieg (‘lightening war’).
At first, aerial raids took place during daylight hours. In October 1940, however, the Luftwaffe switched its methods to night attacks. As an important inland port and manufacturing centre, the city of Manchester, together with the nearby industrial estate in Trafford Park, were both prime targets.
While the Manchester-area endured a number of bombing raids throughout the autumn of 1940, the most devastating attack took place in the days immediately preceding Christmas.
The Essoldo, Stretford
The eye-catching Essoldo Cinema has been a prominent figure of the Stretford landscape since the 1930s. Let's take a look at its many identities over the last eighty-four years.
Trafford Pub Crawl
Many of Trafford's public houses have long and rich histories. We have carried out research by looking at archive records, local history books and the British Newspaper Archive which has unearthed a wealth of information and stories. Each week, we will be focusing on a different pub in the Trafford area.
Fancy a pub crawl? Our first port of call is the Church Inn in Flixton.....
Morris Dancing in Stretford Before the First World War
This article explores the history of morris dancing in Stretford and its social context. Morris dancing, associated until the mid-nineteenth century with the rush-bearing at Stretford Wakes, was revived in 1910 after the establishment of an annual Rose Queen Festival, centred on the Gorse Hill district, which was to become the annual Stretford Pageant. As well as the Gorse Hill Morris Dancers there were other troupes formed in Stretford and Trafford Park.
Research into programmes from the Rose Queen Festival and newspaper reports has provided insight into the strong relationship between the Rose Queen event and the Morris dancers, the social background of the dancers and their history of dancing with the troupe. Examination of the close community from which the Gorse Hill dancers came, and of the large scale participation of that community in the annual Rose Queen Festival, has demonstrated why pride in taking part in the morris was created.
The Linotype Works, Broadheath
Since setting up shop in Broadheath’s industrial park, the Linotype works have been a significant feature of the local area, employing many local people. Find out more about this revolutionary piece of technology and the company’s journey through the twentieth century.
'All in it Together': Commemorating 75 years since the End of the Second World War
This year marks the 75th anniversary since the end of the Second World War. This exhibit was created to both remember and commemorate its end, through the use of photographs, images and other materials from the Trafford Local Studies Centre’s Art, Archive and Heritage Collections.
Organised into a series of short commentaries and essays, 'All in it Together' retraces life during the war; looking back at the ways that residents of Trafford came together, to support each other as well as the national war effort. This exhibit also looks back at the local celebrations which took place in May and August 1945, marking the end of the conflict.
Preparing for a Massacre: Peterloo and the Trafford Area
On 16 August 1819, an enormous number of people gathered in St Peter’s Field in the middle of Manchester. A day that started out with hope ended with tragedy, as members of the crown were killed and hundreds more injured. The areas that today make up Trafford had a significant, and in some cases troubling, role to play in the days and months that led up to the Peterloo Massacre.
The History of White City, Old Trafford
Have you ever visited the White City Retail Park in Old Trafford and wondered at the significance of the white gates? For almost two hundred years, they have stood there proudly as the scene around them changed dramatically. Take a journey through botanical gardens and enormous exhibitions to find out the incredible history of this site.