Canal Archive: Bridging the Years

By the nineteenth century Trafford Hall was a luxurious and well furnished home. The front part of the house dated from the eighteenth century with a classical style frontage, while the older part of the Hall, dating from the Elizabethan times, was at the rear.

The Hall boasted over forty bedrooms, a variety of reception rooms, servants' quarters and a private chapel. The exterior was just as impressive and well equipped with an ornamental garden and large glass conservatory, plus more functional buildings such as stables and workshops.

In addition to the Hall, the Park contained three farms, Park Farm, Moss Farm and Waters Meeting Farm. There were also three entrance lodges at Throstle Nest, Old Trafford and Barton. Keepers' cottages could also be found throughout the Estate. An ornamental lake, which was thought to have been dug around 1860, was located on the edge of the Park near to the Mersey and Irwell Navigation.

Since the 1760s one edge of the Estate had been enclosed by the Bridgewater Canal with its other side bounded by the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, giving the Estate an island-like appearance. The building of the Bridgewater Canal did not seem to cause the family too much concern. However, the proposal of a much larger waterway was to meet with much sterner opposition from the de Traffords.

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