SALE, GREATER MANCHESTER

'Sale' (pop. 52,294) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. The neighbouring towns are Stretford, which lies to the north, and Altrincham, which is to the south. Sale itself is southwest of Manchester City Centre. The Bridgewater Canal runs through the centre of town, and the River Mersey passes just to the north.
Historically part of Cheshire, Sale dates back to at least the 12th century and possibly to pre-Norman times. Until the 18th century, the mainstays for the small community were farming and weaving. However, transportation improvements—notably the 1765 completion of the Sale section of the Bridgewater Canal and the 1849 opening of Sale's first railway station—transformed it into a commuter town for Manchester workers. It remains such for many Sale residents, who have seen the town economy shift to its current focus on retail, real estate and business services.
Two of the town's main attractions are the Sale Water Park and the new Waterside Arts Centre. Although the community had a Premiership rugby union club (the Sale Sharks) and witnessed the founding of the Sale Harriers-Manchester Athletics Club, both have now relocated to other Greater Manchester areas. Prominent past and present residents include physicist James Joule, singer David Gray, and Sale Harriers athletes Darren Campbell and Diane Modahl.

Contents

History

Governance

Civic history

Political representation

Geography

Demography

Economy

Culture

Landmarks and attractions

Cultural events and venues

Sports

Education

Religion

Transport

Notable people

References

External links

History

Sale and the surrounding area have been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by a Neolithic arrow head, Roman coins and indications of Saxon habitation found in the area.^[1] The town is on the route of a Roman road, now part of the A56 road, between Chester and Manchester. The name ''Sale'' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ''seale'', meaning 'at the sallow tree', providing more evidence that Sale began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Though not mentioned in the Domesday Book, the first documented reference to the township of Sale dates from the 12th century in a deed referring to a grant of land in Sale. That Sale was referred to as a township in this document suggests pre-Norman habitation (townships were a Saxon development). Several roads in present-day Sale, such as Dane Road and Fairy Lane, probably have Anglo-Saxon origins.
After the invasion of England by the Normans in 1066, ownership of Sale was divided between Thomas de Sale and Adam de Carrington. On de Sale’s death, his lands passed to the family of his son-in-law, John Holt. The lands of Adam de Carrington changed hands several times and by 1187 had come under the administration of Richard de Massey.^[2] The descendants of the Holts and the Masseys controlled Sale until the 17th century, when the land was purchased by several people including Sir George Booth.^[3]
Sale Old Hall, which served as the town hall, may have been built as early as the 13th century. The hall was rebuilt in 1577 and demolished in 1920. The hall's lodge and dovecote survive, and the former is now used by the Sale Golf Club. Crossford Bridge, which carries the northbound carriageway of the A56 road over the River Mersey, existed as early as 1538.
Sale was a farming community until a garthweb weaving industry also developed in the 17th century. Garthweb, a material used in saddle girths, was woven from flax and hemp grown in the town. Sale's growth increased in 1765 with the arrival of the Bridgewater Canal, financed by the Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to the mouth of the River Mersey. The canal enabled the transport of goods and people in and out of the town more easily than was previously possible. It also provided a means of commuting into Manchester, and Sale residents were able to catch the "swift packet" to work. In 1804, during the Napoleonic Wars, 3000 volunteers from northwest England, raised by Sir John Moore to defend against invasion, were inspected on Sale Moor by Prince William of Gloucester. Sale's Volunteer Hotel was named after an enlistment point in the town.

Sale Town Hall

Sale Railway Station opened in 1849 as part of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway. A second station was opened in 1859, named Brooklands in honour of the 19th century Sale town-planner and landowner, Samuel Brooks, and the nearby area of the town also became known as Brooklands. The population of Sale more than trebled by the end of the 19th century, as railway transportation allowed it to become a convenient commuter town for middle-class merchants who worked in Manchester. Despite increased use of rail transport, there were still about 400 horses working on the Bridgewater Canal during the 1870s, but by the end of the 19th century the competition had led to a significant decrease in the use of the canal. A third railway station opened at Dane Road in 1931.
The construction of the nearby Trafford Park and Broadheath industrial complexes in the early 20th century further increased demand for housing in Sale.^[4] In 1931, the Manchester-Altrincham steam line was electrified, making it one of the first electrified railway lines in Great Britain.^[5] In 1992, the line was replaced by the Metrolink tram/light rail service.
In December 1940, during the Second World War, much of Manchester suffered heavy bombing in what became known as the Manchester Blitz. On the night of 23/24th December, the newly built Sale Town Hall was severely damaged by incendiary bombs. It was not fully repaired until 1952.^[6]

Governance

Civic history

Arms of the former Sale Municipal Borough Council

Sale formed a civil parish in 1866. In 1894, as a result of the Local Government Act 1894, the parish became the Sale Urban District in the administrative county of Cheshire. The district expanded in 1930 with the inclusion of the former Ashton upon Mersey Urban District, and became a municipal borough in 1935. The municipal borough was abolished in 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, and Sale became a part of the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester.

Political representation

Sale was in the parliamentary constituency of Altrincham and Sale from 1945 until 1997, when it was split between the constituencies of Altrincham and Sale West and Wythenshawe and Sale East. The Altrincham and Sale West constituency is one of the few seats in the northwest held by the Conservative Party, and the only Conservative seat in Greater Manchester.
Sale is in the Trafford local government district. The Trafford Council is responsible for the administration of local services, such as education, social services, town planning, waste collection and council housing. The Sale area consists of the five electoral wards: Ashton upon Mersey, Brooklands, Priory, Sale Moor and St. Mary's,^[7] and these wards have 15 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council. As a result of the 2007 local elections, ten of those seats are held by the Conservative Party and five by the Labour Party.^[8]

Geography

The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, highlighting Sale in red.

At (53.4246, -2.322), the town lies north of the town of Altrincham, to the south of the town of Stretford and to the southwest of Manchester City Centre. The district of Wythenshawe is to the southeast.
Sale is located in the Mersey Valley at approximately above sea level. The River Mersey, just north of the town,^[9] sometimes floods during heavy rains, so the Sale Water Park, which is close to the town's northern boundary, acts as an emergency flood basin.^[10] The man-made, and thus more controllable, Bridgewater Canal runs through the centre of the town.
The local geology consists of sand and gravel deposited about 10,000 years ago, during the last ice age, and the bedrock of Sale is composed of sandstone deposits in the form of Bunter beds.^[11] United Utilities obtains the town's drinking water from the Lake District.^[12]
Distinct districts of the town include Ashton upon Mersey and Sale Moor in the northwest and Brooklands in the southeast. The main commercial neighbourhood is Sale town centre, in the central northern area of the town, but smaller commercial centres are also found in the Ashton upon Mersey and Sale Moor districts. The most densely populated area of the town is Brooklands. Parks are mainly located in the central and southern areas, as Ashton upon Mersey and Sale Moor suffer from a lack of accessible green space.^[13][14][15]
The climate of Sale, and Greater Manchester as a whole, is generally temperate. The mean temperature is slightly above the UK average, while the annual rainfall and average hours of sunshine are slightly below the UK average.^[16]

Demography

'Sale Compared'
'2001 UK census'	'Sale'	'Trafford'	'England'
Total population	52,294	210,145	49,138,831
Foreign born	6.7%	8.2%	9.2%
White	95%	92%	91%
Asian	2.5%	4.6%	4.6%
Black	0.7%	2.0%	2.3%
Christian	78%	76%	72%
Muslim	1.4%	3.3%	3.1%
No religion	13%	12%	15%
Over 65 years old	17%	16%	16%

As of the 2001 UK census,^{[17][18][19][20][21]} the town of Sale, encompassing its five wards, had a population of 52,294. This was 1.3% lower than at the 1991 census and 2.5% lower than at the 1971 census.^[22] The population density in 2001 was 36.3 persons per hectare and for every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. The age distribution of residents was roughly in line with the national average. Residents of Sale had an average age of 33.2 years, younger than the 38.9 Trafford average. Of those over 16 years old in Sale, 30% were single (never married) and 51% married, the same as Trafford. Of the 24,027 households, 32% were one-person households, 24% were married couples with children, and 8.5% were composed of lone parents. Of those aged 16–74 in Sale, 22% had no academic qualifications, lower than the 24% in all of Trafford.
Only a small portion of Sale's population is not native to the United Kingdom, with 93% being born in the UK. There is also a small portion of non-white residents, as 95.2% of residents were recorded as white. The largest minority group are Asians, at 2.5% of the population.

Economy

Sale's economy is mainly based around service industries and as a commuter town for workers in Manchester and the Trafford industrial complexes. Since its construction in the 1960s, Sale's shopping centre has had difficulty competing with the longer-established centre in Altrincham. Sale has, however, been enhanced since the arrival of the supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury, two of the largest employers in the town. The Trafford Centre has further increased the competition for Sale businesses. After the Centre's opening in 1998, Sale initially lost much of its share of the retail market, but has since staged a moderate recovery.^[23]
As of March 2005, there were 1,515 business premises in Sale. The industries carried out on those premises were 38% property and business services, 21% retail and wholesale, 10% construction, 7% manufacturing, 6% hotels and catering, 3% transport, 2% finance, and 14% other. Compared with national figures, the town had a relatively high percentage of property and business services premises, and a relatively low percentage of manufacturing premises.
According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 19% property and business services, 16% retail and wholesale, 11% manufacturing, 11% health and social work, 9% education, 8% transport and communications, 6% construction, 6% finance, 4% public administration, 4% hotels and restaurants, 1% agriculture, 1% energy and water supply, and 5% other. Compared with national figures, the town had a relatively high percentage of residents working in property, business services and finance. The town had a relatively low percentage working in agriculture, public administration and manufacturing. Many residents commute to work outside the town; as of the 2001 census, the town had 25,503 employed residents, more than the 18,496 jobs available within the town.
The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74, with 45.4% in full-time employment, 11.6% in part-time employment, 7.8% self-employed, 2.4% unemployed, 2.6% students with jobs, 3.3% students without jobs, 14.4% retired, 4.9% looking after home or family, 5.2% permanently sick or disabled, and 2.3% economically inactive for other reasons. The 2.4% unemployment rate of Sale area wards was low compared with the national rate of 3.4%. Sale has a much higher percentage of adults with a diploma or degree compared to Greater Manchester as a whole. 27% of Sale residents aged 16–74 had a qualification such as first degree, higher degree, qualified teacher status, qualified medical doctor, qualified dentist, qualified nurse, midwife, health visitor, etc. compared to 20% nationwide. According to the Office for National Statistics estimates, during the period of April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross income of households in Sale was £522 per week (£28,773 per year).

Culture

Landmarks and attractions

The Sale war memorial, outside the town hall.

The Sale Cenotaph, designed by Ashton upon Mersey sculptor A. Sherwood Edwards, is situated outside Sale Town Hall. It is a memorial to the 400 men from Sale who died in the First World War and the 300 men who died in the Second World War. The oldest surviving building in Sale is Eyebrow Cottage.^[24][25] Originally a yeoman farmhouse built around 1670, it is one of the earliest brick buildings in the area. Its name is derived from the decorative brickwork above the windows which gives the building an anthropomorphic quality. It was built in Cross Street, which at the time was a separate village from Sale. Sale Water Park is an artificial lake, created from a deep gravel pit left during the construction of the M60. It opened in 1980 and is a venue for water sports, fishing and bird watching. The water park is the site of the Broad Ees Dole wildlife refuge, a Local Nature Reserve that provides a home for migratory birds.^[26]

Cultural events and venues

The Waterside Arts Centre, opened in 2004, is Sale's cultural centre. Situated next to Sale Town Hall, it includes a plaza, a library, the Robert Bolt Theatre, the Lauriston Gallery, and the Corridor Gallery. The Centre regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions and other community events. Performers have included Midge Ure, Fairport Convention, The Zombies and Sue Perkins. Opportunities are also provided for local bands and artists to promote their work.^[27][28] In 2004, the Centre received the prestigious British Urban Regeneration Association Award for its innovative use of space and for reinvigorating Sale town centre.^[29]
Sale has a Gilbert and Sullivan society, formed in 1972, which performs at the Altrincham, Garrick Playhouse. The group is directed by Alistair Donkin, a former principal comic for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Members of the group have won several awards at The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.^[30]

Sports

The rugby union side Sale F.C. has been based in Sale since 1861 and at its present Heywood Road ground since 1905.^[31] The professional Sale Sharks team were originally part of the club but split in 2003. They now play their matches in Stockport, but their training ground remains in Sale. Sale F.C. is one of the oldest rugby clubs. Its 1865 ''Minute Book'' is the oldest existing book containing the rules of the game.^[32] The town is also home to the Ashton upon Mersey Rugby Union Club and the Trafford Metrovick Rugby League Club.^[33]
The Sale Harriers Manchester Athletics Club was formed in 1911, and are now based in nearby Wythenshawe. The club has produced successful athletes such as Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell. Sale Sports Club encompasses Sale Cricket Club, Sale Hockey Club and Sale Lawn Tennis Club.^[34] The Brooklands Sports Club is home to Brooklands Cricket Club, Brooklands Manchester University Hockey Club and Brooklands Hulmeians Lacrosse Club. It also provides facilities for squash, tennis and bowls. Sale United FC plays at Crossford Bridge and was recognised as Trafford’s Sports Club of the Year in 2004. Sale Golf Club and Ashton on Mersey Golf Club have courses on the outskirts of the town,^[35] and Trafford Rowing Club has a boathouse beside the canal.^[36] The Sale Leisure Centre has three swimming pools, badminton and squash courts, and a gymnasium.^[37] The Walton Park Sports Centre has a sports hall for activities such as 5-a-side football, karate and table-tennis.^[38] Tennis, crown-green bowls, golf putting and football facilities are available at the town's parks.

Education

The Trafford district maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven Plus exam. Sale has one grammar school, two secondary modern schools and nineteen primary schools. Sale Grammar School, a specialist school in the visual arts, was described in its 2006 OFSTED report as "outstanding with an outstanding sixth form."^[39] Ashton on Mersey School is a foundation secondary modern school and specialist sports college.^[40] Sale High School, formerly Jeff Joseph Sale Moor Technology College, is a foundation secondary modern school and specialist technology college.^[41] Manor High School provides secondary education to pupils with special needs.^[42]

Religion

Sale's All Saints Roman Catholic Church

Sale is a diverse community: it has a synagogue and Christian churches of various denominations. The church buildings were mostly constructed in the late 19th or early 20th century in the wake of the population boom created by the arrival of the railway in 1849, although records show that St. Martin's Church in Ashton upon Mersey (which became part of Sale in the 1930s), dates back to at least 1304.^[24]
As of the 2001 UK census, 77.9% of Sale residents reported themselves as being Christian, 1.4% Muslim, 0.7% Hindu, 0.6% Jewish, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.2% Sikh. The census recorded 12.9% as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 5.9% did not state their religion. There is a strong Roman Catholic presence. Sale is in the Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury,^[44] and the Church of England Diocese of Chester.^[45]

Transport

The Metrolink tram/light rail service connects Sale with other locations in Greater Manchester. Trams leave from the town's three Metrolink stations at Dane Road, Sale, and Brooklands around every six minutes between 7:15am and 18:30pm, and every 12 minutes at other times of the day.^[46] The nearest main line railway station is Navigation Road in Altrincham, where trains run to Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Chester. Bus routes operated by various companies run to Manchester and Altrincham.^[47] The A56 road runs between Chester and North Yorkshire via Sale, Manchester and Burnley. Access to the M60 motorway, which encircles Manchester, is just to the north of Sale. The M56 and M62 motorways are within and the M6 motorway, which runs between Warwickshire and Carlisle, is around to the west.^[48] Manchester Airport is to the south.

Notable people

James Joule, the physicist who gave his name to the SI unit of energy, lived in Sale throughout his life. Joule died at his home at 12 Wardle Road and is buried in Brooklands Cemetery. The "J.P. Joule" public house is named after him and there is a bust of him in Worthington Park.^[49] The authors Robert Bolt^[50] and Peter Tinniswood^[51] were brought up in Sale. The left-wing Member of Parliament and cabinet minister Baron Orme was born in the town.^[52]
The singer-songwriter David Gray lived in the town until moving to Wales at age nine.^[53] Ian Brown, the former lead singer of The Stone Roses, spent part of his childhood near Brooklands.^[54] Radio presenter Marc Riley, the former host of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show, lived in Sale.^[55] Olympic Games gold medalist Darren Campbell^[56] and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Diane Modahl^[57] lived in Sale and trained at Sale Harriers Manchester Athletics Club. Several members of Lancashire County Cricket Club have resided in the town, most notably the England player Cyril Washbrook.^[58]

References

1. Tameside Before 1066, Mike Nevell, , , Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, ,
2. A History of Sale from earliest times to the present day, N.V. Swain, , , Sigma Press, ,
3. Looking Back at Sale, Vivien Hainsworth, , , Willow Publishing, ,
4. Sale Area
5. The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, Frank Dixon, , , The Oakwood Press, ,
6. Sale in Times Past, F Byron and M Partington, , , Chorley: Countryside Publications, ,
7. Political wards in Sale
8. Wards in Trafford
9. History
10. Exploring Greater Manchester
11. Historical atlas of Trafford. Altrincham, D Bayliss, , , D Bayliss, ,
12. Drinking water quality report
13. Brooklands Ward Profile
14. Ashton-on-Mersey Ward Profile
15. Sale Moor Ward Profile
16. Annual UK weather averages Met Office
17. St. Martin's Neighbourhood Statistics
18. Brooklands Neighbourhood Statistics
19. Priory Neighbourhood Statistics
20. Sale Moor Neighbourhood Statistics
21. Mersey St. Mary's Neighbourhood Statistics
22. 1997–2001 Census Population data by Ward
23. Sale, Cheshire, England
24. The Archaeology of Trafford, Mike Nevell, , , Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, ,
25. Cottage, Sale. An Examination of the Social and Structural Development of an Early Eighteenth-Century Brick Yeoman Farmhouse., Anon, , , University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, ,
26. Broad Ees Dole
27. About the Waterside Arts Centre
28. Sue Perkins tour dates
29. Regeneration 'Oscar' for Sale Waterside
30. Sale Gilbert and Sullivan Society
31. Sale F.C.
32. Sale FC history John Gardiner
33. Sports Clubs and Associations, Sale
34. Sale Sports Club
35. Ashton on Mersey Golf Club
36. Welcome to Trafford Rowing Club
37. Sale Leisure Centre
38. Walton Park Sports Centre
39. Sale Grammar School 2006 Ofsted Report
40. Ashton upon Mersey School
41. Sale High School
42. Manor High School
43. The Archaeology of Trafford, Mike Nevell, , , Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, ,
44. Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury
45. The Church of England Diocese of Chester
46. Tram Times
47. Rail map for Liverpool and Manchester
48. Google Maps
49. James Joule: A Biography, D S L Cardwell, , , Manchester University Press, ,
50. Robert Bolt: Scenes from Two Lives, Adrian Turner, , , Hutchinson, ,
51. Novelist Tinniswood dies
52. Times Obituary of Baron Orme
53. David Gray: A Biography, Michael Heatley, , , Omnibus Press, ,
54. Ian Brown: Already in Me — With and Without the "Roses", Michael O'Connell, , , Chrome Dreams, ,
55. How We Met: Mark Radcliffe and Marc 'Lard' Riley Pierre Perrone
56. About Darren Campbell
57. The Diane Modahl Story, Diane Modahl, , , Hodder and Stoughton Religious, ,
58. From the Stretford End: Official History of the Lancashire County Cricket Club, Brian Bearshaw, , , Partridge Press, ,

External links

★ Brooklands Hockey Club

★ Sale Community Web

★ Sale FC

★ Sale Harriers

★ Sale Moor Cricket Club

★ Sale Sharks Rugby Union Football Club

★ SaltyWeb — The Sale and Altrincham Directory

★ Trafford Metrovicks Rugby Football and Cricket Club