Humphrey Lane

Before the 1930s, the original route of Humphrey Lane passed northwards in a straight line through what is now the community centre and bowling green, continuing to the Stretford boundary at Cars Ditch. It was a narrow lane with trees and shrubs on both sides. In the vicinity of the current community centre location, the grounds of Gorse Hill Farm were on one side of the lane and The Manor Buildings and The Grove were on the other. 

Humphrey Lane, once nicknamed Humpty Dumpty Lane, is thought to have got its name from Sir Humphrey de Trafford of Trafford Hall, is thought to have been named after Sir Humphrey de Trafford of Trafford Hall, who rode his horses through the area with his hounds during the mid-1800s, apparently regardless of people's gardens and hedges. 

In a deed dated 1866, part of Humphrey Lane close to Gorse Hill Farm was named as Cow Lane - the name has been added to this 1846 map of the area.

When the Humphrey Park estate was built during 1937 and 1938, the lane from its junction with Chadwick Lane (now Bradfield Road) was made to gradually swing eastwards, and it now joins on to Derbyshire Lane West. The 1910 and 2025 overlay map below shows the original and more recent routes of the lane. The aerial and LiDAR images of the area show a definite line running diagonally across the bowling green - this can be seen close-up as a shallow indentation and is thought to be the original route of Humphrey Lane.