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

[8] In keeping with a pattern found in northern and eastern Cheshire and south-eastern Lancashire, the parish comprised isolated farmsteads and a medieval manor house, rather than a village centre.

An area named Wood may have existed in the north-western part of Flixton, near a Woods-end Farm noted in an 1818 survey.

A Shaw Hall, whose name first appears in 1508 and was derived from a small wood, was described by historian Michael Nevell as "the most significant medieval estate within the township".

[3] It was the home of the Valentines, the Asshawes and the Egertons, and during the English Civil War was defended against a potential attack by Royalist forces.

Robert of Lathom, who inherited the manor, granted the parish of Flixton to the newly created Burscough Priory, located near Ormskirk, in 1190.

The registers show that surnames such as Gilbody, Valentine, Millatt and Low remained prevalent in the area well into the 19th century.

[15] Flixton's population remained fairly stable until the end of the 17th century, when, along with other nearby parishes, it began to rise steadily.

[16] The 1664 hearth tax returns show that Flixton had 70 heads of household,[17] who were likely engaged mainly in agricultural activities.

The local squire, Ralph Wright, who lived at Flixton House, tried to close a footpath which crossed his land.

This was in stark contrast to Altrincham (165%), Bowdon (242%) and Stretford (238%), and is attributed to the emigration of villagers to more industrialised areas like Manchester, and the agricultural depression of the 1830s and 1840s.

To the southwest, Carrington Old Bridge, removed in about 1840, was an old wooden structure too narrow to accommodate carts, which were forced to use a nearby ford.

[33] In 2022, Green resigned after being nominated deputy mayor of Greater Manchester; her successor was Andrew Western, who won the by-election with a majority of 9,906, representing a swing of 11% from the Conservatives.

[35] At 53°44′27″N 2°38′44″W / 53.74083°N 2.64556°W / 53.74083; -2.64556 (53.4427°, −2.3844°) and 170 miles (274 km) northwest of central London, Flixton is located between Urmston and Irlam, which lie to the east and west.

With the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal, which roughly followed the former path of the River Irwell, the township's western boundary with Irlam was adopted in 1896.

[11] Today, the ward's western boundary lies further east, running south from farmland near Woodsend Circle to the Mersey Wier by Irlam Railway Viaduct.

[38] As of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Flixton ward's population was 9,473,[39] 9,164 of whom were white, the remainder being either of mixed race, Asian, Black or Chinese.

[43] Flixton Band, formed in 1877, played at the official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, attended by Queen Victoria.

[44] Local artist Frances Lennon, born in nearby Stretford, moved with her husband to Flixton in the late 1970s.

Local residents accepted the closures, but Wright also attempted to change the route of footpaths not on his land, ploughing the entrance to one and sowing it with oats.

A local farmer, Samuel Wood, objected to Wright's tactics and removed each obstruction, restoring the footpath.

Wright successfully gained an order supporting his changes at his third attempt, but by then the case had attracted considerable interest and in 1826 the Manchester Society for the Preservation of Ancient Footpaths was formed.

After several years of expensive legal wrangling, Wright's order was quashed and in June 1827 the footpaths affected were reopened.

Formed from pulverised fuel ash, the soil provides ideal conditions for flora like gorse and is a habitat for moles.

[62] West of Dutton's Pond is Jack Lane Nature Reserve, a small marshland habitat for wetland birds, surrounded by farmland.

[66] Bus services in Flixton run to destinations such as Davyhulme, Urmston, Stretford, Partington, Hulme and Manchester.

The building was later replaced by the Dog and Partridge Inn, but another school was opened near the present-day Roebuck pub in 1662, of thatched wood and plaster.

One of these was in Shawtown, on "Schoo' Green", and another was at "Th' Grane", at the top of Woodsend Road, opposite where the Red Lion pub once stood.

[71] Anecdotal evidence exists to suggest that hunting, cockfighting and horse racing took place in Flixton, the latter in the fields around the parish church.