Longford Cinema

Longford Cinema, opposite Stretford Mall, on the eastern side of the A56 Chester Road, is perhaps the most visually striking building in the town. Designed by the architect Henry Elder, it was the height of Art Deco fashion when it was opened by the Mayor of Stretford in 1936. Its unusual "cash register" frontage was intended to symbolise the business aspect of show business.

The building incorporated many modern features, such as sound-proofing and under-seat heating, and it was also the first cinema in Britain to make use of concealed neon lighting. It had a seating capacity of 1,400 in the stalls and 600 in the circle, with a further 146 seats in the café area. When built, the cinema had a short pedestrian approach to the facade, but this was removed when the A56 was widened. During World War II the building was used for concerts, including one given by a young Julie Andrews. It also played host to the Hallé Orchestra after the orchestra's own home, the Free Trade Hall, was bombed and severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz of 1940.

After a change of ownership in 1950, the cinema was renamed the Stretford Essoldo. It continued to operate as a cinema until 1965, when it was converted into a bingo hall, which it remained until its closure in 1995. The building has been unused since then. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1994.

The Great Stone

The Great Stone, which gave its name to the Great Stone Road, where it was located until being moved in 1925, is one of Stretford's most easily overlooked landmarks. The stone is composed of millstone grit and was probably deposited as a glacial erratic. It is rectangular in shape, about 5 feet (2 m) wide, 2 feet (1 m) deep, and 3 feet (1 m) tall, with two 7-inch (18 cm) deep rectangular slots cut into its upper surface.

Several suggestions have been made for the history of the Great Stone. There was a succession of plagues in Manchester from the 14th century onwards, and during the Great Plague of 1655–6 the holes in the top of the stone were filled with vinegar or holy water, through which coins were passed in the belief that would halt the spread of the disease. The holes are probably too deep for that to have been the stone's original purpose though. It may originally have been a marker on the Roman road between Northwich and Manchester, or some kind of a boundary marker. The Great Stone is also thought to have been the base of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft. A local legend had it that the stone was slowly sinking into the earth, and that its final disappearance would mark the end of the world.

When the Great Stone Road was widened in the late 19th century, the stone was moved back from the road slightly. In 1925, the stone was moved again, to its current location outside the North Lodge of Gorse Hill Park, about 328 feet (100 m) from its historical location. The stone is a Grade II listed structure.

Stretford Cenotaph

Stretford Cenotaph, opposite the Chester Road entrance to Gorse Hill Park, was built as a memorial to the 580 Stretford men who lost their lives in the First World War. Their names and regiments are listed on a large bronze plaque on the wall behind the cenotaph. It was formally unveiled in 1923, by the Earl of Derby, Secretary of State for War.

The cenotaph is 24 feet (7 m) high and 11 feet (3 m) wide at its base. It cost £2,000 to build, the money being raised by public subscription and a donation from the Stretford Red Cross. The memorial bears the legend "They died that we might live" on one side, and "In memory of the heroic dead" on the other. It is a Grade II listed structure

Longford Park

Longford Park is the largest park in Trafford, at 54 acres (22 ha). It includes a pet's corner, botanical garden, bowling greens and children's play areas. It is also the finishing point of the annual Stretford pageant. Longford Park was the home of John Rylands, industrialist and philanthropist, from 1855 until his death in 1888. The hall was demolished in 1995. Today only the front porch, the coach house and the stable buildings remain.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park, near the town centre of Stretford is known locally as 'the heart and lungs of Stretford'. This little gem of a park is well loved and well used and has a host of facilities, see www.trafford.gov.uk for more details.

Stretford Public Hall

Stretford Public Hall was built in 1878 by local philanthropist John Rylands. It was designed by N. Lofthouse and is located on the western side of the A56 Chester Road, opposite the Longford Cinema. Stretford’s first public lending library was established in the building in 1883. At Ryland's death in 1888, his widow placed the building at the disposal of the local authority for a nominal rent, and on her own death in 1910, the building was bought by Stretford Council.

Public baths were built to the rear of the building, accessed via Cyprus Street. In 1940 the new Stretford library was opened on King Street, and the public hall was rendered surplus. The building re-opened in March 1949 as the Stretford Civic Theatre, with a well equipped stage for the use of local groups. After the Stretford Leisure Centre opened in 1977, the Cyprus Street Baths wing fell into disuse, and was demolished. The remainder of the building began to fall into disrepair, despite being designated a Grade II listed structure in 1987, until Trafford Council refurbished and converted the hall to serve as council offices in the mid-1990s. It was re-opened in 1997, once again named Stretford Public Hall.

Trafford Town Hall

Trafford Town Hall stands in a large site at the junction of Talbot Road and Warwick Road, directly opposite the Old Trafford Cricket Ground. Building work began 21 August 1931.

The building officially came into use as Stretford Town Hall on the granting of Stretford's charter, on 16 September 1933. In 1974, on the formation of the new Trafford Metropolitan Borough, Stretford Town Hall was adopted as the base for the new council, and was renamed Trafford Town Hall. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 2007.