Municipal Borough of Stretford

The Municipal Borough of Stretford in Lancashire, England, was created in 1933 and abolished in 1974.

In 1868 the then townshipDivision of an ecclesiastical parish that had civil functions. of StretfordOne of the four major urban areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester. formed a local board^[a]Local boards were set up to improve the sanitary condition of towns in England and Wales by placing responsibility for the supply of water, sewerage, drainage and so on under a single body. under the terms of the Local Government Act 1858, to take responsibility for key aspects of the town’s governance.^[1] In 1894, under the terms of The Local Government Act of that year, the local board was reconstituted as Stretford Urban District. That was enlarged in 1933, when the Davyhulme area was added on the abolition of the neighbouring Barton upon Irwell Rural District.^[2]

Stretford Urban District was granted a charter of incorporation in 1933, and Stretford became a municipal borough. The charter was formally presented by the Earl of Derby, Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, at a Charter Day celebration held on 16 September 1933.^[3]

In 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the Municipal Borough of Stretford was abolished and Stretford has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester. Trafford Town HallOfficially opened as Stretford Town Hall on the granting of Stretford's charter on 16 September 1933. – previously Stretford Town Hall – is Trafford’s administrative centre.^[4]

Arms

The borough was granted its arms on 20 February 1933. The roses are the red roses of Lancashire, and the lion in the centre represents John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. Above the lion are a crossed flail and scythe; the flail comes from the arms of the de Trafford family; the scythe is a reminder of the agricultural history of the area; the thunderbolts above represent the importance of electricity in Stretford’s industrial development. The boat at the bottom represents Stretford’s link to the sea via the Manchester Ship Canal.^[5]