Bowdon is a suburb of Altrincham and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.

It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and became part of Greater Manchester in 1974.

Bowdon and nearby Dunham Massey are both mentioned in the Domesday Book, citing the existence of a church and a mill in Bowdon, and Dunham Massey is identified as Doneham: Hamo de Mascy.

Watch Hill Castle was built on the border between Bowdon and Dunham Massey between the Norman Conquest and the 13th century.

The 10th and last Earl of Stamford died in 1976, who bequeathed Dunham Massey and his Carrington estates to the National Trust.

[3] By 1878, Kelly's Directory was describing Bowdon as "studded with handsome villas and mansions", and around 60% of the residents were business owners.

[6][7][8] Bowdon parish then comprised the townships of Altrincham, Ashley, Bollington, Carrington, Dunham Massey, Hale, Partington, Timperley, and a Bowdon township covering the central part of the parish around the village itself.

In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the townships each became separate civil parishes.

Bowdon is the largest ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, and comprises several small, rural villages surrounded by open countryside, including Dunham Massey Country Park and other more densely populated residential areas.

[15] The majority of the ward is owned by the National Trust as part of the Dunham Massey Estate, which serves as a significant communal asset for the residents of the local and wider areas.

In 1931, 16.1% were working class compared with 36% in England and Wales; by 1971, this had decreased to 14.7% in Bowdon and 26% nationwide.