Firswood is a suburban area of Stretford in the Metropolitan Borough of

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...

, Greater Manchester, England.

Geography

Firswood borders Whalley Range, Old Trafford and

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the city centre. Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the 2011 census, and Chorlton Park 15,147. By the 9th century, there was an Anglo-Saxon settlement her ...

. It was largely occupied by Rye Bank Farm, which remained until 1930, when private housing was built along Rye Bank Road and Warwick Road. The neighbouring Firs Farm was demolished in 1960, and social housing built on the site. Before being drained, the area was largely a peat bog, which explains the lack of development before the 20th century. The oldest residential part of the area is Darley Park, which shares some characteristics with neighbouring Whalley Range and Chorltonville. St Teresa's church (1928) is a parish church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford.

Landmarks

The Quadrant

The Quadrant, where Kings Road meets Great Stone Road is the most recognisable place in the area. In the centre are public gardens and parking, Around this leafy green space is the Quadrant

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, a former public library now a Beacon Centre, and a number of shops, a barber and an established Holistic Therapy Centre .

Transport

Firswood is served by the

Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Ki ...

light rail network. Firswood tram stop is on Rye Bank Road, where it opened in July 2011, after the existing disused

Cheshire Lines Committee The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated of track in the then counties of Lancashire a ...

railway track was cleared and upgraded as part of Metrolink ‘Big Bang' extension. The tram stop is served by two lines: Rochdale to East Didsbury, and Cornbrook to Manchester Airport. This means there are direct services from Firswood to

Manchester city centre Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

Chorlton Chorlton may refer to: Places * Chorlton, Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton, Cheshire West and Chester, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in Manchester, England **Chorlton (ward), an electoral ward of Manchester, England **Chorl ...

, Didsbury,

Wythenshawe Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approx ...

and Manchester Airport. The area is also served by the nearby Old Trafford tram stop, on the

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population ...

Bury line The Bury Line is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink running from Manchester city centre to Bury in Greater Manchester. Originally a railway line, it was, along with the Altrincham Line, converted into a tram line during 1991–92, as pa ...

, and the number 15 bus.

Public services

Stretford Memorial Hospital, originally known as Basford House, was converted into a

cottage hospital A cottage hospital is a semi-obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publicati ...

as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War. On opening it had a children's ward, a maternity unity and a geriatric ward. Until its closure in October 2015, it was managed by Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and provided a range of services including geriatric medicine,

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and pain management.

Notable residents

John Alcock, who along with

Arthur Whitten Brown Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Arthur Whitten Brown, (23 July 1886 – 4 October 1948) was a British military officer and aviator who flew as navigator of the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight with pilot John Alcock in June 1919. Biogr ...

was the first man to fly across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, was born in the lodge of Basford House on Seymour Grove, where his father was the coachman. Edward Colquhoun Charlton lived at 12 Basford Road, prior to his conscription into the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He was posthumously awarded the last

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

awarded in the European theatre of the Second World War. A road was subsequently named after him, on the nearby Firs Farm development.

References

Bibliography

External links

Metrolink South Manchester lineTravel by tramTravel by tram
Geography of Trafford Areas of Greater Manchester Stretford {{GreaterManchester-geo-stub