Browse Exhibits (1 total)

Trafford's Historic Building Plans Collection (c.1850- 1989) contains an estimated 100,000 individual building plans, from private residential to public building projects constructed across the borough. The collection contains building plans of a local and national interest, that document a unique era in the history of sport, leisure, visual arts and culture in nineteenth and twentieth century Britain.

Many of the plans are hand-drawn, often coloured, on paper, parchment or linen and serve as a record of the growth and development of the borough.  

To help deliver this exciting project, Trafford were awarded grant funding from Archives Revealed, a partnership programme between The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, dedicated to cataloguing and unlocking archives in the UK.

A Project Archivist was appointed in July 2024 and a new team of over 20 volunteers were recruited to help reorganise and catalogue this previously inaccessible collection. Catalogued plans can be studied in person at the Trafford Local Studies centre via pre booked appointments.

This exciting online exhibition contains articles researched and written by Trafford Local Studies staff and volunteers.