Bedford Drive

Bedford Drive is a street in Timperley, Trafford. It stems from Stockport Road at the north, and runs south, with Kelsall Drive, Cawdor Place and Conway Drive all connecting to it.

The properties are predominantly semi-detached houses, with a few detached houses at the south dead-end, and flats (Howard Court) at the northern end.

History

By 1838, Bedford Drive didn't yet exist, but the surrounding Timperley Village and Aimson Road West did. In its place were the following land plots (north to south):

• A farm house with fruit trees, owned by St Luke's Church (Goostrey, Cheshire) and occupied by James Hulme. This plot is today the Howard Court apartments.
• A sizeable meadow which was also owned by St Luke's Church (Goostrey, Cheshire) and occupied by James Hulme.
• A "Smithy Croft" owned by Anne Hardy and occupied by Samuel Walker. There are no visible signs of any buildings on the plot at the time, so the name was likely due to it being the field adjacent to the blacksmith on Thorley Lane.
• A carr (wet or marshy area) owned by William Pass and occupied by James Garner.

By 1935, Bedford Drive still didn't yet exist. However, in 1937, Cheshire Development Co. Ltd. ran an advert for their beautifully finished estate, Bedford Drive. The houses were described as being outstanding value, because each one had been specially designed by the company architect. The price for houses on the street started at £450.^[1]

Bedford Drive originally connected to Granville Road at the south, but it appears the roads were later separated to make room for additional houses.

Sources

1. Manchester Evening News, 14th May 1937, Page 6. ↩