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Sale Leasing

Did You Know?

Some local field and road names, and the name of Sale itself, are Anglo-Saxon in origin, which indicates the town was founded in the 7th or 8th centuries. The Old English salh, from which "Sale" is derived, means "at the sallow tree", and Ashton upon Mersey means "village or farm near the ash trees".

Before the 17th century enclosures Sale Moor extended along the entire length of Washway Rd from the Timperley boundary to School Rd. There was then a road along the Northenden boundary along which cattle from the heys on the moor were driven to markets in Altrincham and Stockport.

By the seventeenth century Sale had become a farming and weaving community. There was a thriving cottage industry making 'garthweb', the woven material from which horses' saddle girths were made. The flax and hemp required were both grown locally..

Under William the Conqueror the Anglo Saxon shires became counties, each administered by a count, although later the Anglo Saxon title of earl re-asserted itself. Half of the manor of Sale was held by Thomas de Sale from William FitzNigel probably in the second half of the 12th century.

In 1849 the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was opened. Sale was now a pleasant suburb of Manchester, which was growing increasingly wealthy on the back of cotton. The growth of both areas became inter-related. Sale was suddenly a pleasant place for the rising middle class of merchants to build their homes. They were away from the pressures of the city but within easy reach.

Sale's shopping centre was redeveloped during the 1960s, as part of the town's post-war regeneration. In 1973, the shopping precinct in the town centre, which had grown up in the mid-19th century, was also redeveloped and pedestrianised in an attempt to increase trade. The construction of the M63 motorway (subsequently renamed the M60) in 1972 led to the creation of Sale Water Park.

The oldest surviving building in Sale is Eyebrow Cottage. 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

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. The professional Sale Sharks team was originally part of Sale F.C. but split from it in 2003. 

In 1765 the arrival of the Bridgewater Canal from Runcorn made the area far more accessible and triggered Sale's urbanization. A further extension of the canal allowed growers to deliver their produce right into Manchester.

Sale's development was further enhanced when the railway was built in 1849 and it became a desirable location for middle class Manchester commuters. Fancy houses were built to impress and real estate prices became some of the highest in the area.

St Martin's Church, was probably originally an early 14th-century timber framed structure and was rebuilt in 1714 after the church had been destroyed in a storm. The Church of St John the Divine was built in 1868, to the design of Alfred Waterhouse. Both are Grade II* listed.