Flixton House was built in 1806 by the Wright family, who had become wealthy land owners in Flixton. Flixton House would probably have been quite unremarkable in a national context had Ralph Wright in 1826 not closed several

footpaths A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide va ...

across his estate, footpaths that the public had until then been allowed access to. In response to the closure of those footpaths the people of Flixton initiated and funded a court case against Ralph Wright, one of the first footpath battles in England. The people of Flixton won their case, and their success led to the creation of the Manchester Association for the Preservation of Ancient Footpaths in 1826.

Subsequent history

The Wright family continued to hold the house and land until the death of Samuel Worthington-Wright in 1934, following which Urmston Urban District Council acquired Flixton House and its of land for £69,793. The park was officially opened to the public in 1935. The house and park are now owned by Trafford Council. Flixton House along with its surrounding buildings was designated a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building in 1981.

Event Space

This Grade II listed building has been a wedding and events venue in Trafford for many years and is now owned and managed by

Trafford Council Trafford Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and pr ...

. In 2018 Flixton House recently underwent a drastic refurbishment. The venue has been updated with modern décor and furnishings whilst retaining many features from the early 19th century.

References

{{Buildings and structures in Trafford Borough Legal history of England Country houses in Greater Manchester Grade II listed buildings in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford