Altrincham Heritage

The ‘Detail Plans of the Township of Altrincham’, created in 1852 for the Local Board of Health, reveal much about the state of the town and the lives of its inhabitants and workers at that time. On this interactive page, the numbered Plots are linked to a brief description and sometimes to an image of a building or street, with further information about it.

You can also compare the 1852 Plans to the OS 1876 Plans and a modern map.  

This selection of maps and plans dating from 1790 to 1967, depicts the area’s rapid growth and the many changes made to it, as it evolved from providing fertile land for market gardens and dairy farms, through to commuter suburbs and streets; expanded retail centres; industrial estates; schools; golf courses and parks.

This selection of mostly unique photographs, features local people, buildings and streets dating from the century before last.

Local and national events recorded by both amateur and professional photographers and also illustrators, can be seen on this page.

A selection of views over Altrincham town centre and its environs, taken from aeroplanes or tall buildings, can be explored here.

These scanned or transcribed publications and documents, provide a fascinating insight into the history of Altrincham, as well as some of the surrounding areas. Local history works and guides prior to 1983, are also included. They are mostly in the form of searchable PDFs.

There has always been a keen interest in the history of the Altrincham area and this flourishes to the present day, as shown by these works written since 1983 by knowledgeable local historians. Many of their books and journals are now out-of-print but they are presented here in the form of searchable PDFs, making it easier to locate detailed information.

Several worthwhile projects including exhibitions and happenings, have taken place over the past few years and undertaken by Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society and a team of volunteers, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.