Visit Sale, Greater Manchester Places

Welcome to Visit Sale, Greater Manchester Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Sale, Greater Manchester

  

Sale, Greater Manchester Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Sale, Greater Manchester

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Sale, Greater Manchester history

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A flint arrowhead discovered in Sale suggests a prehistoric human presence at the location, but there is no further evidence of activity in the area until the Roman period. A 4th-century hoard of 46 Roman coins was discovered in Ashton upon Mersey, one of four known hoards dating from that period discovered within the Mersey basin. Sale lies along the line of the Roman road which runs between the fortresses at Chester (Deva Victrix) and York (Eboracum), via the fort at Manchester (Mamucium); the present-day A56 follows the route of the road through the town. After the Roman departure from Britain in the early-5th century, Britain was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons. Some local field and road names, and the name of Sale itself, are Anglo-Saxon in origin, which indicates the town was founded in the 7th or 8th centuries. The Old English salh, from which “Sale” is derived, means “at the sallow tree”, and Ashton upon Mersey means “village or farm near the ash trees”. Although the townships of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey were not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, that may be because only a partial survey was taken. The first recorded occurrences of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey are in 1199–1216 and 1260 respectively. The settlements were referred to as townships rather than manors, which suggests further evidence of Anglo-Saxon origins as townships were developed by the Saxons. The manor of Sale was one of 30 held by William FitzNigel, a powerful 12th century baron in north Cheshire. He divided it between Thomas de Sale and Adam de Carrington, who acted as Lords of the Manor on FitzNigel’s behalf. On de Sale’s death, his land passed to his son-in-law, John Holt; de Carrington’s land passed into the ownership of Richard de Massey, a member of the Masseys who were Barons of Dunham. Sale descended through the Holt and Massey families until the 17th century, when their respective lands were sold. Sale Old Hall was built in about 1603 for James Massey, probably to replace a medieval manor house, and was one of the first buildings in northwest England to be made of brick. It was rebuilt in 1840 and demolished in 1920, but two buildings in its grounds have survived: its dovecote, now in Walkden Gardens, and its lodge, the latter now occupied by Sale Golf Club. In 1745, Crossford Bridge – which dated back to at least 1367 – was torn down. It was one of a series of bridges crossing the River Mersey destroyed by order of the government, to slow the advance of Jacobite forces during the Jacobite rising. The Jacobites repaired the bridge upon reaching Manchester, and used it to send a small force into Sale and Altrincham. Their intention was to deceive the authorities into believing that the Jacobites were heading for Chester. The feint was successful and the main Jacobite army later marched south through Cheadle and Stockport instead. The extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Runcorn was completed as far as Sale by 1765, and transformed the town’s economy by providing a quick and cheap route into Manchester for fresh produce. Farmers who took their wares to market in Manchester brought back night soil to fertilise the fields. Not everyone benefited from the canal however; several yeomen claimed that their crops were damaged by flooding from the Barfoot Bridge aqueduct. A 1777 map shows the village of Cross Street, on the site of the road now of the same name, divided between the townships of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey. The village was first referred to in 1586 and is believed to have originated around this time. The map also shows that Sale was spread out, mainly consisting of farmhouses around Dane Road, Fairy Lane, and Old Hall Road. Sale absorbed Cross Street as it expanded. About 300 acres (120 ha) of “wasteland” known as Sale Moor was enclosed in 1807, to be divided between the landowners in Sale. This was part of a nationwide initiative to begin cultivation of common land to lessen the food shortage caused by the Napoleonic Wars. Records of poor relief in the town start in 1808, a time when the region was in the grip of an economic depression. Poorhouses, where paupers could stay rent-free, were built in the early-19th century, reflecting the poor state of the local economy. In 1829, Samuel Brooks acquired 515 acres (208 ha) of land in Sale – about a quarter of the township – from George Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford. The area later became known as Brooklands after the land owner. The Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway opened in 1849, and led to the middle classes using Sale as a commuter town, a residence away from their place of work. This resulted in Sale’s population more than tripling by the end of the 19th century. The land in Sale Moor was the cheapest in the town because the soil was poor and difficult to cultivate, which was part of the reason the area was common land until the early 19th century. However, when the railway opened, Sale Moor was close to the station and became the most expensive area in Sale. Villas were built in Sale Moor, and a few in Ashton upon Mersey as the demand for land increased. They were often decorated with stained glass or different coloured bricks in an attempt to make them “mansions in miniature” for the aspiring middle class. Pressure from an increasing population led to the town being supplied with amenities such as sewers, which were built in 1875–1880; and Sale was connected to the telephone network in 1888. As in the late-19th century, the early-20th century saw a great deal of construction work in Sale. The town’s first swimming baths were built in 1914, and its first cinema, the Palace, was opened during the First World War. The end of the war in 1918 resulted in a rush of marriages, which highlighted a shortage of housing. The local councils of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey took the initiative of building council housing, and rented it to the local population at below market rates. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Sale had 594 council houses. The building programme was interrupted by the start of the war. additional private housing development brought the total of inter-war houses built in Sale to around 900, including large housing estates like Woodheys Hall estate in Ashton. Sale was never officially evacuated during the war, and even received families from evacuated areas, although it was not considered far enough from likely targets to be an official destination for evacuees. The town’s proximity to Manchester, an industrial centre directed towards the war effort, did result in a number of bombing raids. Incendiaries dropped on Sale in September 1940 caused no casualties, but did damage two houses on Norman Road. In a bombing incident the following November, four people were injured and a school was damaged; on 22 December 1940, twelve people were injured by bombs. On the night of 23 December, much of Manchester suffered heavy bombing in what became known as the Manchester Blitz. Six hundred incendiary bombs were dropped on Sale in three hours. There were no injuries, but Sale Town Hall was severely damaged. On 3 August 1943, at 11:50 pm, a Wellington Bomber on a training exercise crashed in Walton Park in the south-west of the town. Of the six-man crew, consisting of five members of the Royal Australian Air Force and one member of the Royal Air Force, the pilot and the bomb-aimer were killed. Sale’s shopping centre was redeveloped during the 1960s, as part of the town’s post-war regeneration. In 1973, the shopping precinct in the town centre, which had grown up in the mid-19th century, was also redeveloped and pedestrianised in an attempt to increase trade. The construction of the M63 motorway (subsequently renamed the M60) in 1972 led to the creation of Sale Water Park. To minimise the risk of flooding, the new road was built on an embankment, for which the necessary gravel was extracted from what is today an artificial lake and water-sports centre. Opportunities for leisure were increased when the old swimming baths, demolished in 1971, were replaced in 1973 by a new complex built on the same site.

Sale, Greater Manchester culture & places

Landmarks and attractions

Sale has three Grade II* listed buildings – two churches (St. Martin and St. John the Divine) and Ashton New Hall – and eighteen Grade II listed buildings. The cenotaph outside the town hall was designed by Ashton upon Mersey sculptor Arthur Sherwood Edwards. The oldest surviving building in Sale is Eyebrow Cottage, built around 1670, it was originally a yeoman farmhouse.

Events and venues

Waterside Arts Centre houses a plaza, library, the Robert Bolt Theatre, the Lauriston Gallery, and the Corridor Gallery. Performers have included Lucy Porter, Midge Ure, Fairport Convention, The Zombies and Sue Perkins. Sale Brass is a traditional brass band based in Sale, formed in about 1849.

Sports

Sale F.C. has been based in Sale since 1861 and at its present Heywood Road ground since 1905. The town is also home to the Ashton upon Mersey and Trafford Metrovick rugby union clubs. Sale Harriers Manchester Athletics Club was formed in 1911, but is now based in nearby Wythenshawe. Sale Sharks now play their matches at Salford City Stadium.

Sale, Greater Manchester geography / climate

Sale lies in the Mersey Valley, about 100 feet (30 m) above sea level on generally flat ground. The River Mersey, which runs just north of the town, is prone to flooding during heavy rains. The town’s main districts are Ashton upon Mersey in the northwest, Sale Moor in the southeast and Brooklands in the southwest.

You can visit Sale, Greater Manchester places with Walkfo Sale, Greater Manchester to hear history at Sale, Greater Manchester’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Sale, Greater Manchester has 61 places to visit in our interactive Sale, Greater Manchester map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Sale, Greater Manchester, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Sale, Greater Manchester places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Sale, Greater Manchester & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 61 audio facts unique to Sale, Greater Manchester places in an interactive Sale, Greater Manchester map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Sale, Greater Manchester Places Map
61 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Sale, Greater Manchester historic spots	Sale, Greater Manchester tourist destinations	Sale, Greater Manchester plaques	Sale, Greater Manchester geographic features
Walkfo Sale, Greater Manchester tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Sale, Greater Manchester

  

Best Sale, Greater Manchester places to visit

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Sale, Greater Manchester has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Sale, Greater Manchester’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Sale, Greater Manchester’s information audio spots:

Chorlton Poor Law Union Chorlton Poor Law Union was founded in January 1837 in response to the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 . It was overseen by an elected board of 19 guardians representing the 12 parishes in the area it served .

St Ann’s, Stretford St Ann’s Church, Stretford is a Grade II listed Roman Catholic church . It was constructed between 1862 and 1863, on the east side of the A56 Chester Road . The parish functions under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford .

Municipal Borough of Stretford Stretford was, from 1868 to 1974, a local government district coterminate with the town of Stretford, Lancashire.

Municipal Borough of Sale Sale was, from 1867 to 1974, a district in Cheshire. The district had the status of local government district, urban district and municipal borough. Its area now forms part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford.

St Martin’s Church, Ashton upon Mersey St Martin’s Church is in Church Lane, Ashton upon Mersey, a district of Sale, Greater Manchester. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

Wythenshawe Park Wythenshawe Park is a Green Flag awarded park covering 270 acres. The park features woodland, bedding, grassland and meadows, sporting facilities, a community farm and a horticulture centre.

Northern Moor Northern Moor is west of Northenden and east of Sale, 5 miles south of Manchester city centre. The Tatton family lived at from 1540 to 1926 Wythenshawe Hall, which is in Northern Moor. Until the early 1900s Northern Moor was part of Cheshire, before Manchester expanded south of the River Mersey.

Wythenshawe Town F.C. Wythenshawe Town Football Club is a football club based in Manchester. They are currently members of the North West Counties League Premier Division and play at Ericstan Stadium.

Woodheys Park Woodheys Park, also known as Pinky Park, is located at Kenmore Road, off Woodhouse Lane in Sale, Greater Manchester. The park is approximately 7.5 hectares (18.53 acres) in size and is situated close to the catchment areas of Sale, Broadheath and Timperley.

Timperley tram stop Timperley is a tram stop on the Altrincham Line of Greater Manchester’s light-rail Metrolink system. It opened on 15 June 1992 as part of Phase 1 of the system’s expansion.

Visit Sale, Greater Manchester plaques