View source for Sale, Greater Manchester

{{short description|Town in Greater Manchester, England}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                   = England
| static_image_name         = Sale Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1749852.jpg
| static_image_caption      = [[Sale Town Hall]]
| coordinates               = {{coord|53.424|-2.322|display=inline,title}}
| official_name             = Sale
| population                = 62,550
| population_ref            = (Built up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>
| population_density        =
| metropolitan_borough      = [[Trafford]]
| metropolitan_county       = [[Greater Manchester]]
| region                    = North West England
| constituency_westminster  = [[Altrincham and Sale West (UK Parliament constituency)|Altrincham and Sale West]]
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Wythenshawe and Sale East (UK Parliament constituency)|Wythenshawe and Sale East]]
| post_town                 = SALE
| postcode_district         = M33
| postcode_area             = M
| dial_code                 = 0161
| os_grid_reference         = SJ785915
| london_distance           = {{convert|162|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|SE]] 
}}
'''Sale''' is a town in [[Trafford]], Greater Manchester, England.<ref name="GM Gazetteer">{{cite web |url=http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzs.htm |title=Greater Manchester Gazetteer|publisher=Greater Manchester County Record Office|access-date=24 December 2008|at=Places names – S|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718144349/http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzs.htm}}</ref> It is on the south bank of the [[River Mersey]], {{convert|2|miles|km|0}} south of [[Stretford]], {{convert|3|miles|km|0}} northeast of [[Altrincham]], and {{convert|5|miles|km|0}} southwest of [[Manchester]]. Sale lies within the [[Historic counties of England|historic county boundaries]] of [[Cheshire]], and became part of Greater Manchester in 1974. At the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], the Sale built up area as defined by the [[Office for National Statistics]] had a population of 62,550.

Evidence of [[Stone Age]], [[Roman Britain|Roman]] and [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] activity has previously been discovered locally. Sale was historically a rural [[Township (England)|township]] in the parish of [[Ashton upon Mersey]]; its fields and meadows were used for crop and cattle farming. By the 17th century, Sale had a cottage industry manufacturing garthweb, the woven material from which horses' [[Girth (tack)|saddle girths]] were made.

The [[Bridgewater Canal]] reached the town in 1765, stimulating Sale's urbanisation. The arrival of the railway in 1849 triggered Sale's growth as an important town and place for people who wanted to travel to and from Manchester, leading to an influx of middle class residents; by the end of the 19th century, the town's population had more than tripled. Agriculture gradually declined as [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service industries]] boomed.

Sale became a separate [[ecclesiastical parish]] from Ashton upon Mersey in 1856 and a separate [[civil parish]] in 1866. It was administered as a [[Local Government Act 1858|local government district]] from 1867, which became an [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban district]] in 1894. In 1930, Sale Urban District absorbed Ashton upon Mersey, and in 1935 it was raised to the status of a [[municipal borough]]. The borough of Sale was abolished in 1974, becoming part of the [[metropolitan borough]] of Trafford in Greater Manchester.

Since then, Sale has continued to thrive as one of the main urban centres of Trafford due to its proximity to the [[M60 motorway]] and the connections to Manchester and other areas by the [[Manchester Metrolink]] network.

== History ==
===Founding===
A [[flint tool|flint]] arrowhead discovered in Sale suggests a prehistoric human presence at the location,<ref name="Swain9">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;9.</ref> but there is no further evidence of activity in the area until the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]]. A 4th-century [[hoard]] of 46&nbsp;Roman coins was discovered in Ashton upon Mersey, one of four known hoards dating from that period discovered within the Mersey [[Drainage basin|basin]].<ref name="Nevell9720"/><ref>Nevell (1992), pp.&nbsp;59,&nbsp;75.</ref> Sale lies along the line of the [[Roman road]] which runs between the fortresses at [[Chester]] ([[Deva Victrix]]) and [[York]] ([[Eboracum]]), via the [[castra|fort]] at [[Manchester]] ([[Mamucium]]);<ref name="Nevell9720">Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;20.</ref> the present-day [[A56 road|A56]] follows the route of the road through the town.<ref name="Swain9"/> After the [[End of Roman rule in Britain|Roman departure from Britain]] in the early-5th century, Britain was invaded by the [[Anglo-Saxons]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Some local field and road names,<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;12.</ref> 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 [[willow|sallow]] tree",<ref>Dodgson (1970b), p.&nbsp;4.</ref> and Ashton upon Mersey means "village or farm near the [[ash trees]]".<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;12–13.</ref> Although the [[Township (England)|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.<ref>Redhead, Norman, in: Hartwell, Hyde and Pevsner (2004), p.&nbsp;18.</ref> The first recorded occurrences of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey are in 1199–1216 and 1260 respectively.<ref>Nevell (1997), pp.&nbsp;32,&nbsp;38–39.</ref> The settlements were referred to as townships rather than [[manorialism|manors]], which suggests further evidence of Anglo-Saxon origins as townships were developed by the Saxons.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;11.</ref>

===Early history===
[[File:Historic Dovecote at Walkden Gardens, Sale, Cheshire - geograph.org.uk - 526310.jpg|thumb|left|The dovecote is all that survives of Sale Old Hall.]]
The manor of Sale was one of 30 held by [[List of Barons of Halton#2 William FitzNigel|William FitzNigel]], a powerful 12th century baron in north Cheshire. He divided it between Thomas de Sale and Adam de Carrington, who acted as [[Lord of the Manor|Lords of the Manor]] on FitzNigel's behalf.<ref name="Swain20">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;20.</ref> 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 Massey|Dunham]]. Sale descended through the Holt and Massey families until the 17th century, when their respective lands were sold.<ref name="Swain20"/> 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.<ref name="Swain22">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;22.</ref><ref>Nevell (2008), p.&nbsp;61.</ref> 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.<ref name="Swain22"/>

[[File:1777 Burdett map of Sale.jpg|right|thumb|1777 map of area around Sale showing the townships of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey and the separate village of Cross Street ([[Baguley]] and [[Wythenshawe Hall]] are in the southeast)]]
In 1745, Crossford Bridge&nbsp;– which dated back to at least 1367&nbsp;– was torn down.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;27.</ref> It was one of a series of bridges crossing the River Mersey destroyed by order of the government, to slow the advance of [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] forces during the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|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, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]] and [[Stockport]] instead.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;42,&nbsp;44.</ref>

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.<ref name="Swain44">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;44.</ref> Farmers who took their wares to market in Manchester brought back [[night soil]] to fertilise the fields.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;47.</ref> Not everyone benefited from the canal however; several [[yeoman|yeomen]] claimed that their crops were damaged by flooding from the Barfoot Bridge aqueduct.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;44–45.</ref>

The village of Cross Street was first referred to in 1586 and is believed to have originated around this time.<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;56.</ref> A 1777 map shows Cross Street, on the site of the road now of the same name, divided between the townships of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey.<ref name="Swain40">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;40.</ref>  The map also shows that Sale was spread out, mainly consisting of farmhouses around Dane Road, Fairy Lane, and Old Hall Road.<ref name="Swain40"/> Sale absorbed Cross Street as it expanded.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

About {{convert|300|acre|ha|abbr=off|-1}} of "wasteland" known as Sale Moor was [[Enclosure|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]].<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;51–52.</ref> Records of [[poor relief]] in the town start in 1808, a time when the region was in the grip of an [[Depression (economics)|economic depression]].<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;61–62.</ref> [[Poorhouse]]s, where [[pauper]]s could stay rent-free, were built in the early-19th century, reflecting the poor state of the local economy.<ref name="Swain68">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;68.</ref> In 1829, [[Samuel Brooks (railway pioneer)|Samuel Brooks]] acquired {{convert|515|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of land in Sale&nbsp;– about a quarter of the township&nbsp;– from [[George Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford]].<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;59.</ref> The area later became known as Brooklands after the land owner.<ref>{{cite book |first=R. N. |last=Dore |year=1972 |title=A History of Hale, Cheshire: From Domesday to Dormitory |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofhaleche0000dore/page/111 111] |publisher=John Sherratt and Son Ltd, Altrincham |isbn=0-85427-030-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofhaleche0000dore/page/111 }}</ref>

===Development===
[[File:Bridgewater Canal, Sale - geograph.org.uk - 5111861.jpg|left|thumb|View of the Bridgewater Canal, looking north towards Stretford. The Metrolink tramline runs parallel with the canal.]]
The [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]] opened in 1849,<ref name="Nevell97">Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;97.</ref> and led to the middle classes using Sale as a commuter town, a residence away from their place of work.<ref name="Swain85">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;85.</ref> This resulted in Sale's population more than tripling by the end of the 19th century.<ref name="Nevell87">Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;87.</ref> 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.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;91.</ref> 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.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;98.</ref>

Pressure from an increasing population led to the town being supplied with amenities such as sewers, which were built in 1875–1880;<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;116.</ref> and Sale was connected to the telephone network in 1888.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;84.</ref> 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,<ref name="Swain134">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;134.</ref> and its first cinema, the Palace, was opened during the First World War.<ref>Swain (1987) p.&nbsp;112.</ref> The end of the war in 1918 resulted in a rush of marriages, which highlighted a shortage of housing.<ref name="Swain 119-123">Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;119,&nbsp;123.</ref> The local councils of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey took the initiative of building [[council house|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&nbsp;council houses.<ref name="Swain 119-123"/> The building programme was interrupted by the start of the war.<ref name="Swain134"/> 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.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

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.<ref name="Swain133">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;133.</ref> The town's proximity to Manchester, an industrial centre directed towards the war effort, did result in a number of bombing raids. [[Incendiary bomb|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.<ref name="Swain133"/> 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]] and St Paul's Church were severely damaged.<ref name="Swain133"/> On 3 August 1943, at 11:50&nbsp;pm, a [[Vickers Wellington|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.<ref name="crash"/>

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.<ref name="Swain134"/> 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.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;135–136.</ref> 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.<ref name="Swain134"/>

== Governance ==
There is one main tier of local government covering Sale, at [[metropolitan borough]] level: [[Trafford Council]]. The council is a member of the [[Greater Manchester Combined Authority]], which is led by the directly-elected [[Mayor of Greater Manchester]]. For national parliamentary elections, Sale straddles the two constituencies of [[Altrincham and Sale West]] and [[Wythenshawe and Sale East]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
{{Further|Municipal Borough of Sale}}
Historically, Sale was a [[township (England)|township]] in the [[Ancient parishes of Cheshire|ancient parish]] of [[Ashton upon Mersey]], which formed part of the [[Bucklow Hundred]] of Cheshire. In 1836 the township also became part of the Altrincham [[Poor Law Union]].<ref name="GM Gazetteer"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Sale Township / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10009662 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Higginbotham |first1=Peter |title=Altrincham Poor Law Union |url=https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Altrincham/ |website=The Workhouse |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

[[File:St Anne's Church - geograph.org.uk - 6163880.jpg|thumb|St Anne's Church, built 1854]]
From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the [[poor laws]], in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Ashton upon Mersey, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Sale also became a [[civil parish]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref> In terms of [[ecclesiastical parish]]es, Sale was separated from Ashton upon Mersey in 1856, following the completion of St Anne's Church in 1854.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1347890|desc=Church of Saint Anne|grade=II}}</ref> The ecclesiastical parish was subsequently divided as more churches were built.<ref name=Kelly>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Cheshire |date=1914 |pages=541–542 |url=https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/235738/rec/2 |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Sale coat of arms.JPG|thumb|right|The former Sale Borough Council's coat of arms, as displayed on [[Sale Town Hall]]]]
The Sale township was made a [[Local Government Act 1858|local government district]] in 1867, administered by an elected local board.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23204 |date=1 January 1867 |page=24}}</ref> Such districts were reconstituted as [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] under the [[Local Government Act 1894]].<ref name=Kelly/><ref name=VoB>{{cite web |title=Sale Urban District / Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10027550 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref> The urban district council built [[Sale Town Hall]] on School Road to serve as its headquarters, opening in 1915.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMJMA6_Sale_UK |title=Plaques on the Eastern Wing of the Town Hall|access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref> The council was granted a [[coat of arms]] in 1920, with the motto ''Salus et felicitas'' (health and happiness).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Robert |title=Sale Borough Council |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/cheshire_pre74.html#sale%20bc |website=Civic Heraldry |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

In 1930, Sale Urban District was enlarged to take in neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, which had been its own urban district from 1895.<ref name=youngs>Youngs (1991), pp.&nbsp;6,&nbsp;33,&nbsp;644–646</ref><ref name="Swain 119">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;119.</ref> In 1935, Sale Urban District was incorporated to become a [[municipal borough]];<ref name=VoB/> prior to that it was reported to have been the urban district with the largest population and highest rateable value in the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Charters for Two New Boroughs: Celebrations at Sale and Radcliffe |work=[[The Times]] |date=23 September 1935 |page=15}}</ref>

The borough of Sale was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The area became part of the [[Metropolitan Borough of Trafford]] in [[Greater Manchester]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|schedule=1|access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Further|Geography of Greater Manchester}}
[[File:Shops on Northenden Road, Sale - geograph.org.uk - 2030293.jpg|thumb|left|Shops along Northenden Road in Sale]]
At {{coord|53|25|29|N|2|19|19|W|type:city}} (53.4246, −2.322), Sale lies respectively to the north and south of the neighbouring towns of Altrincham and Stretford, and {{convert|5|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} southwest of [[Manchester city centre]]. The district of [[Wythenshawe]] is to the southeast. Sale is in the Mersey Valley, about {{convert|100|ft|m|0}} above sea level on generally flat ground. The River Mersey, which runs just north of the town,<ref name="Swain9"/> is prone to flooding during heavy rains, so the [[Sale Water Park]], close to the town's northern boundary, acts as an emergency flood basin.<ref>{{cite web | title = Exploring Greater Manchester | publisher = Manchester Geographical Society | url = http://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/egm/5_1.pdf | year=1998}} Retrieved on 6 May 2007.</ref> The man-made, and thus more controllable, Bridgewater Canal runs through the centre of the town.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Sale's local [[drift (geology)|drift geology]] consists of sand and gravel deposited about 10,000&nbsp;years ago, during the last [[ice age]].<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;1.</ref> The bedrock is [[Bunter (geology)|Bunter sandstone]] in the west and [[Triassic]] [[waterstone]] in the east.<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;3.</ref> [[United Utilities]] obtains the town's drinking water from the [[Lake District]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Drinking water quality report |publisher=United Utilities |url=http://www.unitedutilities.com/external/waterquality/index.aspx?viewmode=summary&PC1=M33+3HF |access-date=26 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129135541/http://www.unitedutilities.com/external/waterquality/index.aspx?viewmode=summary&PC1=M33%203HF |archive-date=29 January 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 26 December 2008.</ref> Sale's climate is generally temperate, like the rest of Greater Manchester. The mean highest and lowest temperatures ({{convert|13.2|°C|°F}} and {{convert|6.4|°C|°F}}) are slightly above the national average, while the annual rainfall ({{convert|806.6|mm|in}}) and average hours of sunshine (1394.5 hours) are respectively above and below the national averages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/manchester_airport.html |title=Manchester Airport 1971–2000 weather averages |publisher=[[Met Office]] |year=2001 |access-date=12 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103050/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/manchester_airport.html |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/england.html |author=Met Office |title=Annual England weather averages |publisher=Met Office |year=2007 |access-date=23 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605024000/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/england.html |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref>

{{Geographic location
|title = '''Neighbouring towns, villages and places.'''
|Northwest = [[Urmston]]
|North = [[Stretford]]
|Northeast = Stretford
|West = [[Carrington, Greater Manchester|Carrington]]
|Centre = Sale
|East = [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]]
|Southwest = [[Broadheath, Greater Manchester|Broadheath]]
|South = [[Timperley]]
|Southeast = [[Baguley]]
}}

The town's main districts are [[Ashton upon Mersey]] in the northwest, [[Sale Moor]] in the southeast, and [[Brooklands, Sale|Brooklands]] in the southwest. The main commercial area is Sale town centre, in the central northern area of the town, but smaller commercial centres are also found in Ashton upon Mersey and Sale Moor. Brooklands is the most densely populated area. Most of the parks, including Worthington and Walton, are in the central and southern areas, leaving Ashton upon Mersey and Sale Moor with a shortage of accessible green space.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=3B6804A6-9924-46FD-AF73-C80A72819945 |title=Brooklands Ward Profile |publisher=Trafford Council |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106010550/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=3B6804A6-9924-46FD-AF73-C80A72819945 |archive-date=6 January 2011 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 30 June 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=877523D9-2EEF-41A7-BC4E-E50F346DD3DD |format=PDF |title=Ashton-on-Mersey Ward Profile |publisher=Trafford Council |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191519/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=877523D9-2EEF-41A7-BC4E-E50F346DD3DD |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 30 June 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=FF97C56E-3D0A-4A0C-B528-A7E3007204B1 |format=PDF |title=Sale Moor Ward Profile |publisher=Trafford Council |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191814/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/DocMan2Document.asp?document_id=FF97C56E-3D0A-4A0C-B528-A7E3007204B1 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 30 June 2007.</ref>

Sale's [[built environment]] is varied, with a mixture of modern and old buildings. Some [[terraced house|terraces]], [[semi-detached|semi-detached houses]] and villas, survive from the Victorian period,<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;91–93.</ref> although many of the larger houses have been converted into flats.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;122.</ref> Many semi-detached houses survive from the 1930s, when there was a need for new housing in the town as a result of a growing population and an increasingly wealthy middle class.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;124–126.</ref> Interspersed with these older structures are newer housing developments, such as the estates built in Ashton upon Mersey and the east of Sale during the 1970s.<ref name="Swain134"/>

== Demography ==
{{Further|Demographics of Greater Manchester}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 2em; width: 40%; " cellspacing="3"
|+Sale ethnicity compared
|-
!2001 UK census||Sale<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152 |date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks06--ethnic-group.xls KS06 Ethnic group] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref>||Trafford<ref name="Trafford neighbourhood stats"/>||England
|-
|Total population||55,234||210,145||49,138,831
|-
|Foreign born||6.7%||8.2%||9.2%
|-
|White||95.1%||89.7%||91.0%
|-
|Asian||1.9%||4.6%||4.6%
|-
|Black||0.7%||2.3%||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 [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK census]], Sale had a population of 55,234. The 2001 population density was {{convert|12727|PD/sqmi|0}}, with a 100 to 94.2 female-to-male ratio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152 |date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks01-usual-resident-population.xls KS01 Usual resident population] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Of those over 16&nbsp;years old, 30.0% were single (never married), 51.3% married and 7.8% divorced.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152 |date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks04--marital-status.xls KS04 Marital status] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Although the proportion of divorced people was similar to that of Trafford and England, the rates of those who were single and married were significantly different from the national and Trafford averages (Trafford: 44.3% single, 35.6% married; England: 44.3% single, 34.7% married).<ref>{{cite web |title=Trafford Metropolitan Borough marital status |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1238940917890&enc=1&dsFamilyId=83 |access-date=5 April 2009 |archive-date=26 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526043551/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1238940917890&enc=1&dsFamilyId=83 |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 5 April 2009.</ref> Sale's 24,027 households included 32.2% one-person, 37.8% married couples living together, 8.3% were [[cohabitation|co-habiting]] couples, and 8.5% single parents with their children, these figures were similar to those of Trafford and England.<ref>{{cite web |title=KS20 Household composition: Census 2001, Key Statistics for urban areas |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=8349&More=Y |date=2 February 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222123306/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=8349&More=Y |archive-date=22 December 2008 }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.<br />•{{cite web |title=Trafford Metropolitan Borough household data |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1197508310468&enc=1&dsFamilyId=165 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226051949/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1197508310468&enc=1&dsFamilyId=165 |archive-date=26 December 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 5 August 2008.</ref> Of those aged 16–74, 22.3% had no academic qualifications, similar to that of 24.7% in all of Trafford but significantly lower than 28.9% in all of England.<ref name="Trafford neighbourhood stats">{{cite web |title=Trafford Metropolitan Borough key statistics |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1197508310453&enc=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226051925/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1197508310453&enc=1 |archive-date=26 December 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 5 August 2008.</ref><ref name="qualifications">{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152|date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks13--qualifications-and-students.xls KS13 Qualifications and students] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Sale had a much higher percentage of adults with a diploma or degree than Greater Manchester as a whole. Of Sale residents aged 16–74, 26.7% had an educational qualification such as first degree, higher degree, qualified teacher status, qualified medical doctor, qualified dentist, qualified nurse, midwife, or health visitor, compared to 20% nationwide.<ref name="Trafford neighbourhood stats"/><ref name="qualifications"/>

Originally a [[working class]] town, there was an influx of [[middle class]] people in the mid-19th century when businessmen began using Sale as a commuter town.<ref name="Swain85"/> Since then, Sale has had a greater proportion of middle class residents than the national average. In 1931, 22.7% of Sale's population was middle class compared with 14% in England and Wales, and by 1971, this had increased to 36.3% compared with 24% nationally. Parallel to this increase in the middle classes of Sale was the decline of the working class population. In 1931, 20.3% were working class compared with 36% in England and Wales; by 1971, this had decreased to 15.4% in Sale and 26% nationwide. The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers. The change in social structure in the town was at a similar rate to that of the rest of the nation but was biased towards the middle classes, transforming Sale into the middle class town it is today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_SOC&data_cube=N_SOC_redist&u_id=10027550&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Sale social class |publisher=Vision of Britain}} Retrieved on 1 August 2008.<br />•{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_rate_page.jsp?u_id=10027550&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_SOC&id=0 |title=Percentage of Working-Age Males in Class 1 and 2 |publisher=Vision of Britain}} Retrieved on 1 August 2008.<br />•{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_rate_page.jsp?u_id=10027550&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_SOC&id=2 |title=Percentage of Working-Age Males in Class 4 and 5 |publisher=Vision of Britain}} Retrieved on 1 August 2008.</ref>

=== Population change ===
According to the [[hearth tax]] returns of 1664, the township of Sale had a population of about 365.<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;59.</ref> Parish registers show that the area experienced steady population growth during the 17th and 18th centuries, more so during the latter half of the 19th century (due to the [[Industrial Revolution]]). This later growth was less rapid than that seen in neighbouring areas such as Altrincham, [[Bowdon, Greater Manchester|Bowdon]] or Stretford.<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;85.</ref> The increase in growth in the latter half of the 19th century also coincides with the arrival of the railway, indicative of Sale's growth as a commuter town.<ref name="Nevell86">Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;86.</ref> A huge increase in population in 1921–1931 is accounted for by the administrative merger of Sale with Ashton upon Mersey in 1930.<ref name="Swain139">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;139.</ref> Steady growth thereon is evident until 1981, when the decline of industry in Trafford and the Greater Manchester area accounts for a reduction in the town's population. This follows the general population trend for [[Demographics of Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester]], with residents relocating to new jobs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trafford Metropolitan Borough key statistics |publisher=audit-commission.gov.uk |url=http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/9AC95DA0-C6A1-4b9b-9A0D-D305DE72FFC8/ManchesterSalford.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080810124216/http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/9AC95DA0-C6A1-4b9b-9A0D-D305DE72FFC8/ManchesterSalford.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-08-10 }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="border:0; text-align:center; line-height:120%;"
|+[[Population growth]] in Sale since 1801
|-
!  Year
! 1801
! 1811
! 1821
! 1831
! 1841
! 1851
! 1861
! 1871
! 1881
! 1891
|- style="text-align:center;"
!  Population
| 819
| 901
| 1,049
| 1,104
| 1,309
| 1,720
| 3,031
| 5,573
| 7,916
| 9,644
|- style="text-align:center;"
!  % change
| –
| +10.0
| +16.4
| +5.2
| +18.6
| +31.4
| +76.2
| +83.9
| +42.0
| +21.8
|-
|
|-
!  Year
! 1901
! 1911
! 1921
! 1931
! 1939
! 1951
! 1961
! 1971
! 1981
! 1991
! 2001
|- style="text-align:center;"
!  Population
| 12,088
| 15,044
| 16,329
| 28,071
| 38,911
| 43,168
| 51,336
| 55,749
| 57,824
| 56,052
| 55,234
|- style="text-align:center;"
!  % change
| +25.3
| +19.6
| +8.5
| +71.6
| +38.6
| +10.9
| +18.9
| +8.6
| +4.4
| −3.1
| −1.5
|-
| colspan="22" style="text-align:center;"|Source: A Vision of Britain through Time<ref name="Nevell87"/><ref name="Swain139"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/greater_manchester_urban_area.asp |title=Greater Manchester Urban Area |publisher=United Kingdom Census 1991 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205014453/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/greater_manchester_urban_area.asp |archive-date=5 February 2009 }} Retrieved on 30 October 2008.</ref>
|}

== Economy ==
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 40%; " cellspacing="5"
|+Sale compared
|-
![[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK Census]]!!Sale<ref name="employment">{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152|date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks09a--economic-activity---all-people.xls KS09a Economic activity – all people] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref>!!Trafford<ref name="Trafford economic activity">{{cite web |title=Trafford Local Authority economic activity |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1196696953015&enc=1&dsFamilyId=107 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226051944/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276784&c=Trafford&d=13&e=16&g=356269&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1196696953015&enc=1&dsFamilyId=107 |archive-date=26 December 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 3 November 2007.</ref>!!England
|-
|Population of working age||40,272||151,445||35,532,091
|-
|Full-time employment||45.5%||43.4%||40.8%
|-
|Part-time employment||11.6%||11.9%||11.8%
|-
|Self-employed||7.8%||8.0%||8.3%
|-
|Unemployed||2.5%||2.7%||3.3%
|-
|Retired||14.3%||13.9%||13.5%
|}
During the medieval period, most of the land was used for [[agronomy|growing crops]] and raising livestock such as cattle.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;15.</ref> The produce from arable farming would have been sufficient to support the local population, but the cattle would have been sold to the ruling classes.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;14,&nbsp;16.</ref> Agriculture provided the main source of employment for Sale's residents until the mid-19th century. Industry was slow to develop in the area, as in most of what would become Trafford. This was partly because of the reluctance of the two main land owners in the area, the [[Earl of Stamford|Stamfords]] and the [[De Trafford baronets|de Traffords]], to invest.<ref>Nevell (1997), pp.&nbsp;85–86,&nbsp;88–91.</ref> Although weaving was common in Sale during the late 17th and early 18th century, by 1851 only 4% of the population was employed in that industry.<ref>Nevell (1997), pp.&nbsp;89–90.</ref>

Along with the rest of the region, Sale's economy during the early-19th century was weak, a state of affairs which persisted until the arrival of the railway in the middle of the century.<ref name="Swain68"/> Despite the dominance of agriculture, there was a growing service industry; Sale and Ashton upon Mersey experienced a growth in numbers employed in retail and domestic services in the first half of the 19th century.<ref name="Nevell86"/> By 1901, less than 20% of Sale residents were employed in agriculture.<ref name="Nevell86"/> Employment was available in [[workhouse]]s for those who could not find work elsewhere. Sale was part of the Altrincham Union, which ran the nearest work house in Altrincham.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;61.</ref>

[[File:Sale shopping centre 2007 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|The main thoroughfare of Sale shopping centre]]
The main shopping centre in Sale, Stanley Square (formerly known as "the Square Shopping Centre"; the name was changed in 2021), was constructed in the 1960s on the site of a former Methodist chapel. Following the Trafford Centre's opening in 1998, it was expected that the centre would suffer, but it has since prospered.<ref>{{cite news |title='Bright future' for town centre |work=Manchester Evening News |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/408906_bright_future_for_town_centre |date=25 September 2002 |access-date=28 August 2008 |archive-date=9 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509190049/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/408906_bright_future_for_town_centre |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2003 the Square Shopping Centre underwent a £7&nbsp;million refurbishment, a major part of the redevelopment of Sale's town centre. It was sold for £40M in 2005, by which time the Square had experienced an increase in trade and demand for tenancy that had led to an increase of 70% in rental income.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sale shops fetch £40m|work=Manchester Evening News|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/184679_sale_shops_fetch_40m_.html|last=Thame|first=David|date=22 November 2005|access-date=20 August 2008|archive-date=20 April 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130420225555/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/184679_sale_shops_fetch_40m_.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The town's economy expanded to the extent that in 2007, at a time when the rest of south Manchester was oversupplied with office space, Sale's available office and commercial space was at an all-time low because of high demand.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sale's sales boom |work=Manchester Evening News |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1024971_sales_sales_boom |date=20 November 2007 |access-date=23 August 2008 |archive-date=20 April 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130420232621/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1024971_sales_sales_boom |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 18.4% property and business services, 15.9% retail and wholesale, 11.1% manufacturing, 10.9% health and social work, 9.1% education, 7.8% transport and communications, 6.1% construction, 6.3% finance, 4.5% public administration, 3.8% hotels and restaurants, 0.7% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, 0.2% mining, and 4.7% 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152 |date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks11a--industry-of-employment---all-people.xls KS11a Industry of employment – all people] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74, 2.6% students were with jobs, 3.3% students without jobs, 4.9% looking after home or family, 5.2% permanently sick or disabled, and 2.3% economically inactive for other reasons.<ref name="employment"/> The 2.4% unemployment rate of Sale was low compared with the national rate of 3.3%.<ref name="Trafford economic activity"/>

== Culture ==

=== Landmarks and attractions ===
[[File:Sale water park.jpg|right|thumb|The artificial lake at Sale Water Park has been used for water sports since 1980.]]
Sale has three [[Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester|Grade II* listed buildings]]&nbsp;– two churches ([[St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey|St. Martin]] and [[Church of St John the Divine, Brooklands|St. John the Divine]]) and Ashton New Hall&nbsp;– and eighteen Grade II [[listed building]]s.<ref name="listed buildings">{{cite web|title=Planning and building control: listed buildings |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/Download.asp?c=docman2&f=pdf&id=5AD074D0-A2CF-4964-8188-E2333AA27652 |format=PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716143548/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/cme/live/dynamic/Download.asp?c=docman2&f=pdf&id=5AD074D0-A2CF-4964-8188-E2333AA27652 |archive-date=16 July 2011 }} Retrieved on 31 July 2008.</ref> The cenotaph outside the town hall was designed by Ashton upon Mersey sculptor Arthur Sherwood Edwards and is a Grade II listed building.<ref name="listed buildings"/> It commemorates the 400&nbsp;men from Sale who died in the First World War and the 300 who died in the Second World War. The memorial consists of a statue of a mourning [[Saint George]] on top of a granite pedestal. Costing £600 (£{{Formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|600|1925|r=-3}}|0}} as of {{inflation/year|UK}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} it was funded by public subscription and unveiled in May 1925 in front of a crowd of 10,000.<ref>Wyke (2004), pp.&nbsp;393–394.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johncassidy.org.uk/joule.html|title=James Prescott Joule: Worthington Park, Sale|last=Hulme|first=Charles|access-date=15 February 2010}}</ref>

The oldest surviving building in Sale is Eyebrow Cottage.<ref>Nevell (1997), pp.&nbsp;2,&nbsp;77–8.</ref> Built around 1670, it was originally a [[yeoman]] farmhouse and is one of the earliest brick buildings in the area. Its name is derived from the decorative brickwork above the windows. It was built in Cross Street, which at the time was a separate village from Sale.<ref name="Swain40"/> Of the twenty-one conservation areas in Trafford, two are in Sale: part of Church Lane, Ashton-upon-Mersey, and Brogden Grove.<ref>{{cite web|title=Conservation Areas in Trafford |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/planning/conservationareas/conservationareasintrafford/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206225027/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/planning/conservationareas/conservationareasintrafford/ |archive-date=6 February 2013 |df=dmy }} Retrieved on 23 March 2012.</ref>

A [[List of public art in Greater Manchester#Trafford|bronze bust]] of [[James Joule]], the physicist who gave his name to the [[SI]] unit of energy, is in Worthington Park. Originally a tower was to have been erected in his honour, but lack of donations led to the production of the bust as a substitute; it was unveiled in 1905.<ref>Wyke (2004), p.&nbsp;394.</ref> Joule moved to Sale in the 1870s for his health; he died at his home at 12&nbsp;Wardle Road in 1889, and is buried in Brooklands Cemetery.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;96.</ref>

The area has several parks and green spaces. Worthington Park, originally called Sale Park, was opened in 1900. It features a bandstand, gardens, play areas, and a skate ramp and is maintained by Trafford Council and The Friends of Worthington Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001154/ |title=Worthington Park |publisher=GreenFlagAward.org.uk|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080207083345/http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001154/ |archive-date = 7 February 2008|url-status=dead}} Retrieved on 24 December 2008.</ref> Opened in 1939, Walton Park is in the southwest of the town and features a miniature railway.<ref name="crash">{{cite web|title=Walton Park |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/leisure-and-lifestyle/parks-and-open-spaces/parks-in-trafford/walton-park.aspx}} Retrieved on 18 June 2016.</ref> [[Sale Water Park]] is an artificial lake, created from a {{convert|35|m|ft|0|adj=on}} deep gravel pit left during the construction of the [[M60 motorway|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 migrating birds.<ref name="Broad Ees Dole">{{cite web|title=Broad Ees Dole |publisher=Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service |url=http://www.merseyvalley.org.uk/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=72 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222221820/http://www.merseyvalley.org.uk/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=72 |archive-date=22 February 2007 |df=dmy }} Retrieved on 27 April 2007.</ref> [[Woodheys Park]], also known as Pinky Park, consists of a well-maintained pitch and putt course, grass area, a five a side football pitch and other amenities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Woodheys Park |url=https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/leisure-and-lifestyle/parks-and-open-spaces/parks-in-trafford/woodheys-park.aspx |website=trafford.gov.uk |publisher=Trafford Council |access-date=30 January 2019}}</ref>

=== Events and venues ===
[[File:Sale Waterside 2009.jpg|thumb|300px|Sale Waterside with the entrance to the Waterside Arts Centre on the left, the Robert Bolt Theatre in the middle, and offices used by Trafford council on the right]]
Situated next to the town hall, the Waterside Arts Centre houses a plaza, a library, the [[Robert Bolt]] Theatre, the Lauriston Gallery, and the Corridor Gallery. The centre, which was opened in 2004, regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions and other community events. Performers have included comedian [[Lucy Porter]], [[Midge Ure]], [[Fairport Convention]], [[The Zombies]] and [[Sue Perkins]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/news/issues/76/articles/sale_waterside.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080107122513/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/news/issues/76/articles/sale_waterside.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-01-07 |title=Take a trip to Sale Waterside |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref> In 2004, the centre received the British Urban Regeneration Association Award for its innovative use of space and for reinvigorating Sale town centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/F589FE32-CE15-426f-A871-D72E6B53F297/TraffordMBCEconomicRegeneration21July2005REP.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080809013820/http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/F589FE32%2DCE15%2D426f%2DA871%2DD72E6B53F297/TraffordMBCEconomicRegeneration21July2005REP.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-08-09 |title=Economic regeneration: Trafford Metropolitan Borough |publisher=Audit Commission }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref>

Sale has a [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] society, formed in 1972, which performs at the [[Altrincham Garrick|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salegass.org.uk/ |title=Sale Gilbert and Sullivan Society |publisher=SaleGASS.org.uk}} Retrieved on 11 June 2007.</ref> Sale Brass is a traditional brass band based in Sale, formed in about 1849 as the Stretford Temperance Band. Its first recorded performance was at the 1849 opening of the railway between Manchester and Altrincham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salebrass.co.uk/about/history.html |title=Sale Brass |publisher=salebrass.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705161355/http://www.salebrass.co.uk/about/history.html |archive-date=5 July 2008 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 28 March 2008.</ref>

=== Sport ===
The rugby union side Sale F.C. has been based in Sale since 1861 and at its present [[Heywood Road]] ground since 1905. One of the oldest rugby clubs in the world, its 1865 ''Minute Book'' is the oldest existing book containing the rules of the game.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salefc.com |title= Sale F.C. |publisher=Sale F.C.}} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref> The professional [[Sale Sharks]] team was originally part of Sale F.C. but split from it in 2003. Sale Sharks now play their matches at [[Salford Community Stadium]], although they retain the use of the Heywood Road ground for training and for the staging of home games involving their reserve team, Sale Jets.<ref name="SaleFC01">{{cite web|url=http://www.salefc.com/history.htm |author=John Gardiner |title=Sale FC history |publisher=Salefc.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927141644/http://www.salefc.com/history.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 }} Retrieved on 2 arch 2014.</ref> The town is also home to the Ashton upon Mersey and Trafford Metrovick rugby union clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ashton-on-merseyrufc.co.uk/ContactUs.htm |title=Ashton-on-Mersey RUFC contact details |publisher=Ashton-on-MerseyRUFC.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808121456/http://www.ashton-on-merseyrufc.co.uk/ContactUs.htm |archive-date=8 August 2008 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 28 August 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traffordmv.co.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=26 |title=A brief history of Trafford MV |publisher=TraffordMV.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724125352/http://www.traffordmv.co.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=26 |archive-date=24 July 2008 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref>

Sale Harriers Manchester Athletics Club was formed in 1911, it still has its historical home at Crossford Bridge in Sale. The site is shared with Sale United Football club and Old Alts Football Club. The club has produced successful athletes such as Olympic gold medallist [[Darren Campbell]]<ref>{{cite news |title=An email conversatiom [sic] with Darren Campbell: 'Athletics mattered to me almost more than life itself' |last=Rowbottom|first=Mike|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/an-email-conversatiom-with-darren-campbell-athletics-mattered-to-me-almost-more-than-life-itself-410854.html |work=The Independent |date=7 August 2006|location=London|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nuff-respect.co.uk/clients_darren.htm |title=About Darren Campbell |publisher=Nuff Respect Sport Managements Agency Online |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020010201/http://www.nuff-respect.co.uk/clients_darren.htm |archive-date=20 October 2007 }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref> and [[Commonwealth Games]] gold medallist [[Diane Modahl]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Modahl gives BAF ultimatum |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/157362.stm |date=24 August 1998|work=BBC News|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> both former residents of the town.

Sale Sports Club encompasses Sale Cricket Club, Sale Hockey Club, and Sale Lawn Tennis Club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salesportsclub.com/cricket/ |title= Sale Sports Club |publisher=Sale Sports Club}} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref> 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 bowling.

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,<ref>{{cite web |title=Sale Golf Club |author=Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Organisation.aspx?GroupID=208 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119004313/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Organisation.aspx?GroupID=208 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 28 December 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ashton-on-Mersey Golf Club |author=Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Organisation.aspx?GroupID=349 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119025223/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Organisation.aspx?GroupID=349 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 28 December 2008.</ref> and a municipal pitch and putt is based at Woodheys Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fowp.org/|title= Woodheys park pitch and putt |publisher=Friends of Woodheys Park}} Retrieved on 26 April 2008.</ref> Trafford Rowing Club has a boathouse beside the canal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traffordrc.org/ |title=Welcome to Trafford Rowing Club |publisher=Trafford Rowing Club |access-date=7 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821095955/http://www.traffordrc.org/ |archive-date=21 August 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref> Sale Leisure Centre has badminton and squash courts, a gymnasium and three swimming pools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traffordleisure.co.uk/centres/sale/ |title= Sale Leisure Centre |publisher=Trafford Community Leisure Trust}} Retrieved on 28 February 2014.</ref> Walton Park Sports Centre has a sports hall for activities such as [[Five-a-side football|5-a-side football]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traffordleisure.co.uk/centres/walton/ |title=Walton Park Sports Centre |publisher=Trafford Community Leisure Trust |access-date=28 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023243/http://www.traffordleisure.co.uk/centres/walton/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 28 February 2014.</ref> Tennis, [[Bowls|crown-green bowls]], golf putting and football facilities are available at the town's parks. Sale Water Ski Club is based at Sale Water Park.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

== Education ==
{{Further|List of schools in Trafford}}
Sale's first school was built in 1667 and was used until the first half of the 18th century.<ref name="Swain 69-71">Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;69–71.</ref> The second school in Sale was built some time in the 18th century, one of about 30&nbsp;non-grammar schools founded in Cheshire around this time.<ref name="Swain 69-71"/> By 1831, there were two private schools&nbsp;– with the children's parents paying fees for their education&nbsp;– in Sale and one in Ashton upon Mersey.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;71.</ref> At the same time, there were also four Sunday schools in Sale and one in Ashton upon Mersey, operated by various religious denominations, including [[Congregational church|Congregationalists]], [[Methodism|Methodists]], and [[Unitarianism|Unitarians]]. The first school-chapel built in Sale as part of a school was constructed by [[Primitive Methodism|Primitive Methodists]] in 1839, and still survives. The second school-chapel in the town was St Joseph's [[Roman Catholic Church]], built in 1866, and was replaced by the current school in 1899.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;74.</ref>

Trafford maintains a selective education system assessed by the [[eleven plus exam]]. Sale has one [[grammar school]], two [[comprehensive school|comprehensives]] and nineteen primary schools. [[Sale Grammar School]] consists of two parts, one for 11- to 16-year-olds and 900 pupils, and the other a [[sixth form college]] with 300 students. The school was described in its 2006 [[Ofsted]] report as "outstanding with an outstanding sixth form".<ref>{{cite web |title=Sale Grammar School 2006 Ofsted Report |publisher=Sale Grammar School |url=http://issuu.com/salegrammarschool/docs/sale_grammar_ofsted_report?e=1081094/2860978 |format=PDF |date=22 November 2006 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref> [[Ashton-on-Mersey School]] is an academy school and part of [[The Dean Trust]]. It has 1,300 pupils aged 11–16 and 120 students in its sixth form. In its 2019 Ofsted report it was rated "outstanding" for its 16-19 provision and "good" overall. https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50055567 [[Sale High School]], formerly Jeff Joseph Sale Moor Technology College, is a foundation secondary modern school for 11- to 16-year-olds and specialist technology college.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salehighschool.co.uk/ |title=Sale High School |publisher=Sale High School |access-date=29 May 2007 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929011708/http://www.salehighschool.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 2 May 2007.</ref> It has 1,000 pupils and in its 2006 Ofsted report was rated as "satisfactory".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/73112 |title=Sale High School 2006 Ofsted Report |publisher=ofsted.gov.uk |date=23 December 2006 }}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved on 26 December 2008.</ref> [[Manor Academy]] provides secondary education to pupils with special needs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Manor High School |publisher=Trafford Council |url=https://www.trafford.gov.uk/content/admissions/schooldetails.asp?DFESID=358-7008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191722/https://www.trafford.gov.uk/content/admissions/schooldetails.asp?DFESID=358-7008 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 2 May 2007.</ref> It has 140&nbsp;students aged 11–16 and 20&nbsp;members of its sixth form and was rated as "good" in its 2007 Ofsted report.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/96611 |title=Manor High School 2007 Ofsted Report |publisher=ofsted.gov.uk |date=30 May 2008 }}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved on 26 December 2008.</ref>

Sale is a leader within Trafford Council in the area of Childcare and Early education as well. Sale has a broad range of options such as after-school care, breakfast clubs, childminders, day nurseries, holiday schemes, independent school nurseries, pre-school playgroups, school nurseries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/family.page?familychannel=2357|title=Childcare and early education {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> In all the areas within Trafford, Sale provides most variety and has maximum number of options in every area. In areas of After School Care,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?location_postcode__outcode=M33&familychannel=2415|title=After school care - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> Breakfast Club,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?location_postcode__outcode=M33&familychannel=2410|title=Breakfast clubs - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> Childminder,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?familychannel=2411|title=Childminders - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> Holiday Schemes<ref name="trafforddirectory.co.uk">{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?familychannel=2412|title=Day nurseries - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> all the providers rated by Ofsted/CQC are either Good or Outstanding. In areas of Day Nurseries (where one is rated Inadequate),<ref name="trafforddirectory.co.uk"/> Pre-School Groups (where two are rated requires improvement),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?familychannel=2418|title=Pre-school playgroups - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> School Nurseries (where one is rated Requires Improvement)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?location_postcode__outcode=M33&familychannel=2419|title=School Nurseries - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> most of the providers who are rated by Ofsted/CQC are again Good/Outstanding. Apart from these Sale also provides one of three Independent School Nursery in Trafford.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?familychannel=2417|title=Independent school nurseries - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> Sale also provides a lot of options for support for childcare providers in form of advisory forums and childcare training.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trafforddirectory.co.uk/kb5/trafford/fsd/results.page?familychannel=7|title=Support for childcare providers - Search Results {{!}} Service Directory|website=www.trafforddirectory.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref>

== Religion ==
{{see also|List of churches in Greater Manchester}}
[[File:St Paul's Church, Sale (geograph 7112814).jpg|right|thumb|St Paul's Church]]
Sale is a diverse community with 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,<ref name="Swain76">Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;76.</ref> although records show that the [[St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey|Church of St Martin]] in Ashton upon Mersey dates back to at least 1304.<ref>Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;28.</ref> Before the [[English Reformation]], the inhabitants of Sale were predominantly Catholic, but afterwards were members of the [[Church of England]]. Roman Catholics returned to the area in the 19th century in the form of Irish immigrants.<ref name="Swain76"/> Two of the three [[Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester|Grade II* listed buildings]] in the town are churches. The Church of St Martin, which was probably originally an early 14th-century [[timber framing|timber framed]] structure, was rebuilt in 1714 after the church had been destroyed in a storm.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Church of Martin, Sale |num=1067893 |access-date=23 February 2008}}</ref><ref>Richards (1947), pp.&nbsp;22–24.</ref> The Church of St John the Divine was built in 1868, to the design of [[Alfred Waterhouse]].<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Church of John the Divine, Sale |num=1261946 |access-date=23 March 2008}}</ref> There are three Grade II listed churches in Sale: the Church of St Anne; the Church of St Mary Magdalene; and the Church of St Paul.<ref name="listed buildings"/>

As of the 2001 UK census, 78.0% of Sale residents reported themselves as Christian, 1.4% Muslim, 0.7% Hindu, 0.6% Jewish, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.2% Sikh. A further 12.9% had no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion, and 5.9% did not state their religion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2001 Key Statistics – Urban area results by population size of urban area |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-211152 |date=22 July 2004|work=ons.gov.uk|at=[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area/urban-area-results-by-population-size-of-urban-area-ks07--religion.xls KS07 Religion] {{XLSlink}}|access-date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Sale is part of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury |url=http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org |publisher=DioceseofShrewsbury.org}} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref> and the Church of England [[Diocese of Chester]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Church of England Diocese of Chester |url=http://www.chester.anglican.org/diocese/links/index.htm |publisher=Chester.Anglican.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205054529/http://www.chester.anglican.org/diocese/links/index.htm |archive-date=5 February 2008}} Retrieved on 11 April 2009.</ref> Sale and District Synagogue is part of [[United Synagogue]] under the [[aegis]] of the [[Chief Rabbi]] of Britain, [[Jonathan Sacks]] until his death in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of United Synagogues across the UK |url=http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/326_united_synagogues.htm |publisher=somethingjewish.co.uk |date=7 September 2003 |access-date=13 August 2008 |archive-date=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916135355/http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/326_united_synagogues.htm |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 14 August 2008.</ref> The only mosque in Trafford is the Masjid-E-Noor in [[Old Trafford (district)|Old Trafford]], {{convert|3|mi|km|0|spell=in}} away.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trafford community groups search |url=http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Search.aspx?q=mosque |publisher=Trafford.gov.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118102919/http://www.trafford.gov.uk/communitygroups/Search.aspx?q=mosque |archive-date=18 January 2012 |df=dmy-all }} Retrieved on 12 August 2008.</ref>

== Transport ==
[[File:Sale Station - geograph.org.uk - 1749841.jpg|thumb|left|Originally built in wood, Sale station was rebuilt in brick in the late 1870s]]

The [[Manchester Metrolink|Metrolink]] system connects Sale with other locations in Greater Manchester. Trams depart the town's three stations, including [[Sale Metrolink station|Sale station]], least every 12&nbsp;minutes between 07:00 and 22:30 daily.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tram Times |publisher=Metrolink |url=http://www.metrolink.co.uk/tramtimes/Pages/Sale.aspx }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved on 28 February 2014.</ref>

The nearest [[National Rail|railway]] station is [[Navigation Road station|Navigation Road]] in Altrincham, from where trains run between [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly]], [[Stockport railway station|Stockport]] and [[Chester railway station|Chester]]. Services run generally hourly on this line and are provided by [[Northern Trains]].

Franchised [[Bee Network#Bus franchising|Bee Network]] bus routes provide services to Manchester and to Altrincham.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rail map for Liverpool and Manchester |publisher=National Rail |url=http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/liverpool.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140829/http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/liverpool.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2007 }} Retrieved on 2 March 2014.</ref>

The A56 road runs between Chester and [[North Yorkshire]] via Sale, Manchester and [[Burnley]].<ref name="Swain9"/> The [[M60 motorway]], which encircles Manchester, can be accessed via junction 7, just to the north of Sale. The [[M56 motorway|M56]], which links Manchester with [[Chester]], and the [[M62 motorway|M62]] motorway, between [[Liverpool]] to [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], are about {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} away. The [[M6 motorway|M6]], which runs between [[Catthorpe Interchange]] in [[Leicestershire]] and [[Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway|Gretna]], passes about {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} to the west.

[[Manchester Airport]], the busiest airport in the UK outside the [[London]] area,<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Wilson |title=– FT report – doing business in Manchester and the NorthWest. A busy hub of connectivity |work=[[Financial Times]]  |date=26 April 2007}}</ref> is located {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} to the south.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

===History of transport in Sale===
The first [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] road in the area was the latter-day A56 Chester Road between Manchester and Crossford Bridge (on the border between Sale and Stretford). Turnpike trusts collected tolls from road users and used the proceeds to maintain the highway. There was a toll booth on the Sale side of Crossford Bridge. Another section of road between Altrincham and Crossford Bridge was turnpiked in 1765.<ref name="Nevell96-97">Nevell (1997), pp.&nbsp;96–97.</ref>

The commencement of ''swift [[Packet trade|packet]]'' services on the newly opened Bridgewater Canal in 1776 made commuting from Sale into Manchester both practical and convenient, with boats travelling at a relatively swift {{convert|10|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;46.</ref> However, the arrival of the [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]] in 1849 <ref name="Nevell97"/> sounded a death-knell for both the canal packet services and turnpike trusts. Many trusts went into terminal decline, mirroring a national trend.

By 1888, almost all roads and highways were the responsibility of the local authority.<ref name="Nevell96-97"/> Sale's railway station, originally named ''Sale Moor'',<ref name="Nevell97"/> was renamed to Sale in 1856.<ref>Swain (1987), p.&nbsp;89.</ref> Three years later, [[Brooklands Metrolink station|Brooklands railway station]] was opened, followed in 1931 by the opening of [[Dane Road Metrolink station|Dane Road railway station]] along with the electrification of the entire line.<ref name="Nevell100">Nevell (1997), p.&nbsp;100.</ref> The line was renovated in the early 1990s and is now part of the [[Manchester Metrolink|Metrolink]].<ref name="Nevell100"/>

Following the completion of a tramway between Manchester and Stretford in 1901, the [[British Electric Traction|British Electric Traction Company]] applied to Parliament for an extension to Sale. The proposal was amended to continue the line further south, into Altrincham. The line through Sale was owned by Sale Urban District Council and leased to the [[Manchester Corporation]]. Services to Sale commenced in 1907. A branch along Northenden Road from the line to Sale Moor was created in 1912. Sale Moor's line had only a single track which, in 1925, resulted in a head-on collision between two tramcars, injuring eight passengers.<ref name="Swain 119-120">Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;119–120.</ref>

Bus services were first introduced to the area in the 1920s, but became more widespread in the 1930s.<ref>Swain (1987), pp.&nbsp;129–130.</ref> The buses did not suffer the drawback of being limited to tracks and were therefore more practical than the tram services which, from the 1930s, went into decline. The tramlines along Northenden Road were removed between 1932 and 1934, and throughout Sale in the 1940s.<ref name="Swain 119-120"/>

== Notable people ==
[[File:Stanley Orme.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Stan Orme]], 1978]]
[[File:Chappers.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Mark Chapman (broadcaster)|Chappers]], 2013]]
[[File:Darren Campbell 2009.png|thumb|140px|[[Darren Campbell]], 2009]]
[[File:Phil Jagielka 2015-07-18 1.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Phil Jagielka]], 2015]]
* [[William Johnson Galloway]] (1868–1931), partner in engineers and boiler makers [[W & J Galloway & Sons]], and politician and MP for [[Manchester South West]] 1895 to 1906.
* [[Lascelles Abercrombie]] (1881–1938), poet and literary critic, one of the "[[Dymock poets]]".
* [[Stanley Houghton]] (1881–1913), playwright, member of the [[Manchester School (writers)|Manchester School]]; he wrote [[Hindle Wakes (play)|Hindle Wakes]].<ref>{{cite EB1922 |wstitle= Houghton, William Stanley |volume= 31 |last= |first= |author-link= |page= |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Stan Orme|Stanley Orme, Baron Orme]] (1923–2005), politician and MP for [[Salford West (UK Parliament constituency)|Salford West]] & [[Salford East (UK Parliament constituency)|Salford East]] from 1964 to 1997
* [[Sandy Wilson]] (1924–2014), composer and lyricist, wrote the musical, ''[[The Boy Friend (musical)|The Boy Friend]]'' (1953).
* [[Robert Bolt]] (1924–1995), playwright and screenwriter, wrote the screenplays for ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'', ''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]'', and ''[[A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)|A Man for All Seasons]]''.
* [[Anthony Blond]] (1928–2008), publisher and author, an early director and publisher of ''[[Private Eye]]''. 
* [[Terry Farrell (architect)|Sir Terence Farrell]] (born 1938), architect and [[urban design]]er including [[Charing Cross railway station]], [[125 London Wall]] and the [[SIS Building]]
* [[Claire Davenport]] actress, (1933-2002)
* [[Andrew Dillon|Sir Andrew Dillon]] (born 1954). chief executive of the [[National Institute for Health and Care Excellence]] (NICE) from 1999 to 2020.
* [[Chris Sievey]] (1955–2010), comedian and musician with ''[[the Freshies]]'' and from 1984 was ''Frank Sidebottom''.
* [[Yvonne Fovargue]] (born 1956), politician and MP for [[Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Makerfield]] from 2010 to 2024.
* [[Andy Rourke]] (1964–2023), musician and bassist with the 1980s indie rock band [[the Smiths]]. 
* [[David Gray (British musician)|David Gray]] (born 1968), singer-songwriter with ''[[White Ladder]]''
* [[Johnny Stringer (RAF officer)|Sir John Stringer]] (born 1969), [[Royal Air Force]] [[Air marshal]], since 2022 Deputy Commander, [[Allied Air Command]]
* [[Emma Clarke]] (born 1971), [[Voice acting|voice-over artist]],  the voice of automated messages on the [[London Underground]].
* [[Mark Chapman (broadcaster)|Mark Chapman]] (born 1973), TV and radio sports presenter, nicknamed [[Mark Chapman (broadcaster)|Chappers]], brought up locally
* [[Nina Warhurst]] (born 1980), journalist, newsreader and TV presenter on the ''[[BBC News at One]]''.
* [[Khalil Madovi]] (born 1997), actor, artist and musician. He played ''Josh Carter'' in the CBBC series ''[[4 O'Clock Club]]'' (2012–2015)
=== Sport ===
* [[Vernon Royle|Rev. Vernon Royle]] (1854–1929), cricketer who played 102 [[First-class cricket]] matches and one [[Test cricket|test match]] 
* [[William Taylor (Worcestershire cricketer)|William Taylor]] (1885–1959), cricketer who played 107 [[first-class cricket]] matches for [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]
* [[Winifred Brown]] (1899–1984), sportswoman, [[Aircraft pilot|aviator]] and author, won the [[King's Cup air race]] in 1930.
* [[Don Megson]] (1936–2023), footballer who played 386 games for [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]
* [[Ian Mellor]] (1950–2024), footballer who played 337 games including 122 for [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
* [[Roger Palmer (footballer)|Roger Palmer]] footballer who played 461 games for [[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|Oldham Athletic]]
* [[Darren Campbell]] (born 1973), sprint athlete. silver medallist in the 200m. at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] and team gold medallist  in the 4 × 100 m relay at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Steve Jagielka]] (1978–2021), footballer who played 244 games including 176 for [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]]
* [[Phil Jagielka]] (born 1982), footballer who played 659 games including 254 for [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] & 322 for [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] and 40 for [[England men's national football team|England]]
* [[David Tait]] (1987–2012), rugby union player who played 28 games for [[Sale Sharks]] 
* [[Ben Mee]] (born 1989), footballer who has played 332 games for [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]
* [[Greg Leigh]] (born 1994), footballer who has played almost 300 games including 86 for [[Bury F.C.|Bury]]
* [[Harry Mallinder]] (born 1996), rugby union player, has played 82 games for [[Northampton Saints]]

== See also ==
{{Portal|Greater Manchester}}
* [[Listed buildings in Sale, Greater Manchester]]
* [[List of people from Trafford]]
* [[Manchester Mummy]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Dodgson|first=J. McN.|year=1970b|title=The place-names of Cheshire. Part two: The place-names of Bucklow Hundred and Northwich Hundred |publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=0-521-07914-4}}
* {{cite book |author=Hartwell, Clare |author2=Matthew Hyde and Nikolaus Pevsner |title=Lancashire : Manchester and the South-East |series=The buildings of England |year=2004 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn.; London |isbn=0-300-10583-5}}
* {{cite journal |last=Kenyon |first=D |year=1989 |title=Notes on Lancashire Place-Names 2, The Later Names |journal=The English Place-Name Society Journal |volume=21 |pages=23–53}}
* {{cite book |first=Mike |last=Nevell |year=1992 |title=Tameside Before 1066 |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council |isbn=1-871324-07-6}}
* {{cite book |first=Mike |last=Nevell |year=1997 |title=The Archaeology of Trafford |publisher=Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council |isbn=1-870695-25-9}}
* {{cite book |first=Mike |last=Nevell |year=2008 |title=Manchester: the Hidden History |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-0-7524-4704-9}}
* {{cite book |first=Raymond |last=Richards |year=1947 |title=Old Cheshire Churches |publisher=Batsford |location=London}}
* {{cite book |first=Norman |last=Swain |year=1987 |title=A History of Sale from earliest times to the present day |publisher=Sigma Press |location=Wilmslow |isbn=1-85058-086-3}}
* {{cite book |first=Terry |last=Wyke |author2=Harry Cocks |year=2004 |title=Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester |publisher=Liverpool University Press |location=Liverpool |isbn=0-85323-567-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Youngs |first=Frederic A. Jr. |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol. II: Northern England |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |year=1991 |isbn=0-86193-127-0}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Sale (England)}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Sale (Cheshire)|display=Sale, an urban district in the Altrincham parliamentary division of Cheshire, England |short=x}}

{{Greater Manchester}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sale, Greater Manchester| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1st millennium]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Geography of Trafford]]