Altrincham

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Guide to Living in Altrincham

Altrincham

Altrincham is a thriving town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester. It lies on flat ground about 8 miles south of Manchester and has a population of 67,000.

Historically a part of the county of Cheshire – and some local people still consider it to be so – Altrincham was established as a market town in the year 1290. This was a time when most communities were based around farming rather than commerce, hence there is still a market in the town to this day. In fact, in the Old Market Place which is now a conservation area, displays replicas of the original market cross, stocks and whipping post.

Further socio-economic development took place with the extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Altrincham in 1765. The railway arrived in 1849 and this stimulated industrial activity in the town. Altrincham subsequently grew and absorbed many outlying villages, as well as the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall which was formerly the home of the Earl of Stamford, and is now a tourist attraction for the area with its deer park.

The town centre was redeveloped in the 1970s. The main shopping centre now lies along George Street and the parallel Stamford New Road/Railway Street which are pedestrianised.

Altrincham today is predominantly a middle-class commuter town partly because of its transport links – particularly the Metrolink. Altrincham railway station is the southern terminus of one of the lines of the Manchester Metrolink, which connects it with Manchester city centre and other locations in Greater Manchester such as Bury and Sale. Metrolink services leave around every six minutes in the early morning and early evening, and every 12 minutes at other times during the day. National Rail services link Altrincham station with Chester (via Northwich) and with Manchester via Stockport. Altrincham Interchange is next to the railway station and is a hub for local bus routes. Manchester Airport, which is the largest in the UK outside the capital, is 4 miles to the southeast of Altrincham.

The town is also a centre for sport as it is home to Altrincham F.C. as well as the Elite Ice Hockey club, Manchester Phoenix. A new ice rink was built in 2007 behind the station. When not being used by the Manchester Phoenix, the ice rink is open for public skating which is extremely popular.

Altrincham Kersal RUFC, founded in 1897, plays rugby union in North One, which is the competition below the National Leagues. The club is amongst the top 80 clubs in the country . In the past ten seasons, Altrincham has been promoted five times. Altrincham and District Athletics Club was founded in 1961, and this club provides training facilities for cross-country running, track and field, road running, and fell running. There is also a cycle club in the area called Seamons Cycling Club which was formed in 1948.

There are 18 primary schools in the area of Altrincham, one special school, and 8 secondary schools including 5 grammar schools. The Trafford district maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven Plus examination.

There is no need to go far if you are interested in fine dining as a fair choice of restaurants is to be found here. Diners can take their pick of Thai, Spanish, French, Indian or Italian food. In fact Altrincham has Greater Manchester’s only Michelin starred restaurant – the Juniper. As for pubs, in the centre of Altrincham are The Old Market Tavern and the Bricklayers Arms both with their own stories to tell, but if you fancy a short drive further afield you can find country pubs with atmosphere and good pub grub!

Altrincham is fortunate in that it has two theatres -the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse and the Club Theatre. The Altrincham Garrick group was formed in 1913 and the Garrick held the world stage premier of Psycho in 1982! In 1998, it received a grant of £675,000 from the National Lottery which was an immense boost to its coffers.

The Club Theatre group began in as long ago as 1896, as the St Margaret’s Church Institute Amateur Dramatics Society. The theatre provides a venue for the annual Trafford Youth Theatre production and it runs the Hale One Act Festival which is an annual week-long event which started in 1972.This Club has received awards from both the mid-Cheshire Theatre Guild and the Greater Manchester Drama society.

In spite of its proximity to Manchester, most business can be found trading here in Altrincham. Whether you seek a florist, a builder or a landscape gardener, they are all here in Altrincham and their prices can be more reasonable than those trading in the city as in Altrincham, overheads are that bit lower, helping to keep prices down.

All in all, Altrincham is a great place to live. Salaries here are considerably higher than the average for the north west of England and there is low unemployment.