In the Middle Ages, Sale was a rural township, linked ecclesiastically with neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, whose fields and meadows were used for crop and cattle farming.

A flint arrowhead discovered in Sale suggests a prehistoric human presence at the location,[3] but there is no further evidence of activity in the area until the Roman period.

[12] 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.

[13][14] 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.

[16] 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.

[19] A 1777 map shows the village of Cross Street, on the site of the road now of the same name, divided between the townships of Sale and Ashton upon Mersey.

This was part of a nationwide initiative to begin cultivation of common land to lessen the food shortage caused by the Napoleonic Wars.

[24] In 1829, Samuel Brooks acquired 515 acres (208 hectares) of land in Sale – about a quarter of the township – from George Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford.

[citation needed] The Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway opened in 1849,[26] and led to the middle classes using Sale as a commuter town, a residence away from their place of work.

[29] 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.

[30] Pressure from an increasing population led to the town being supplied with amenities such as sewers, which were built in 1875–1880;[31] and Sale was connected to the telephone network in 1888.

[36] The town's proximity to Manchester, an industrial centre directed towards the war effort, did result in a number of bombing raids.

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.

[41][42] In December 1933, Sale Urban District submitted a petition to the Privy Council in an attempt to gain a charter of incorporation.

At 53°25′29″N 2°19′19″W / 53.42472°N 2.32194°W / 53.42472; -2.32194 (53.4246, −2.322), Sale lies respectively to the north and south of the neighbouring towns of Altrincham and Stretford, and five miles (eight kilometres) southwest of Manchester city centre.

[citation needed] Sale's local drift geology consists of sand and gravel deposited about 10,000 years ago, during the last ice age.

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.

[57] 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.

[69] 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.

[81] 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.

[83] The cenotaph outside the town hall was designed by Ashton upon Mersey sculptor Arthur Sherwood Edwards and is a Grade II listed building.

[87] A bronze bust of James Joule, the physicist who gave his name to the SI unit of energy, is in Worthington Park.

It features a bandstand, gardens, play areas, and a skate ramp and is maintained by Trafford Council and The Friends of Worthington Park.

[37] Sale Water Park is an artificial lake, created from a 35-metre (115 ft) deep gravel pit left during the construction of the M60.

The water park is the site of the Broad Ees Dole wildlife refuge, a local nature reserve that provides a home for migrating birds.

Performers have included comedian Lucy Porter, Midge Ure, Fairport Convention, The Zombies and Sue Perkins.

[112] At the same time, there were also four Sunday schools in Sale and one in Ashton upon Mersey, operated by various religious denominations, including Congregationalists, Methodists, and Unitarians.

[138] The nearest railway station is Navigation Road in Altrincham, from where trains run between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Chester.

[142] However, the arrival of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway in 1849 [26] sounded a death-knell for both the canal packet services and turnpike trusts.

[144] Following the completion of a tramway between Manchester and Stretford in 1901, the British Electric Traction Company applied to Parliament for an extension to Sale.