13. Trafford Park
The World’s First Industrial Estate
Trafford Park, nestled right up to Salford Quays, was the first industrial estate in the world. It was crucial to the growth of Salford Docks and the economic development of the north.
Photograph: Machine Shop Gallery, Westinghouse Works, Trafford Park (credit Manchester Postcards).
Trafford Park was built on land belonging to one of the area’s most notable families, the de Traffords.
The de Trafford family acquired the lands around Trafford in about 1200. Trafford Park contained the hall, its grounds, and three farms but it was a prime site for expansion of the Manchester Ship Canal operation.
Once a deer park and boating lake, the land was transformed into a hive of industry in the late 1890s. The location’s close proximity to the Manchester Ship Canal provided an essential transatlantic trade connection.
Trafford Park poster from Marketing the Manchester Ship Canal exhibition (credit Martin Dodge, University of Manchester).
All kinds of industries set up at Trafford Park in the early days, from biscuit factories to steel works.
In 1911, Ford chose Trafford Park as the location of its first factory outside the United States. The industrial estate even boasted the largest private railway system in the UK.
By the 1930s, nearly 2.5m tonnes of freight was transported Trafford Park each year – equating to 3% of all UK freight.
Photograph: Roman Prince loading railway cars For Egypt at Trafford (credit Manchester Postcards).
Trafford Park today remains one of the largest and most successful business parks in Europe. Globally recognised, Trafford Park is home to over 1,330 businesses employing over 35,000 people.
A recent aerial view of Trafford Park, adjacent to Salford Quays.
