Trafford's Places

Sale and surrounds

Sale and its surroundings form a residential suburb which grew up around the introduction of the railway. It is bound to the north by the River Mersey and the M60, to the west by Carrington Moss, and to the south by Timperley. Its vibrant town and village centres, central location and excellent transport links continue to make it a popular residential area. 

 

Sale town centre provides the central focus to the area, while Sale Moor and Ashton Upon Mersey centres provide two local centres which have a well-preserved village quality. The M60 Motorway, the A56, Metrolink and canal corridors pass through Sale, making it a well-connected place, with the opportunity to provide sustainable development with active pedestrian and cycle transport links, including along the Bridgewater Canal.

 

Many parts of Sale, including the central parts are best characterised by their well-preserved Victorian and Edwardian suburban qualities, leading to a generous spatial quality. Exceptional examples of this suburban style of architecture with decorative facades and roof details, sit behind established stone boundary walls and hedges along tree lined streets.

 

Beyond the historic central areas, and those around Ashton upon Mersey, Sale Moor, and Brooklands Station, 20th century semi-detached housing estates make up the majority of the urban form, where the character remains green and suburban, with numerous parks providing space for recreation. The primary residential forms are Edwardian and Victorian terraces, semi-detached, and villa properties, together with extensive areas of inter-war semi-detached properties. The A56 corridor passes through the middle of Sale, which has provided impetus for commercial activity. This includes some notable examples of the early 20th century Art Deco and early modernist style buildings.

Evolution

Local Character Areas

  • Sale, the principal commercial centre, and the residential areas surrounding it, are of mixed character but predominantly housing, with a high number of parks and open spaces;
  • Sale Moor,

    With the advent of the railway, given its proximity to the station, Sale Moor became the most expensive area in Sale, characterised by villa residences. These were often decorated with stained glass or different coloured bricks in an attempt to make them ‘mansions in miniature’ for the aspiring middle class. Examples can be seen along Northenden Road, Wardle Road and Derbyshire Road;

  • Brooklands, residential development grew around Brooklands Station, mansions were developed by Samuel Brooks along Brooklands Road. Other terraced, semi-detached  and villa properties built in the Victorian and Edwardian style close to the station such as those around Marsland Road, Poplar Grove and South Grove still survive and lend the area an established, affluent character;
  • Sale East, extensive areas of 20th century housing, typically semi-detached post war properties, with generous gardens set behind brick boundary walls;
  • Sale West, another extensive residential area characterised by a variety of estates, including Radburn style estates, dating from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. It forms the westernmost edge of Sale and borders the adjacent landscape of Carrington Moss;
  • Woodhouses centred around Woodhouse Lane, typically comprised of semi-detached post war houses;
  • Ashton-upon-Mersey,

    Linked ecclesiastically to Sale since the middle ages, fields around Ashton-upon-Mersey were used for crop and cattle farming. The residential settlement grew up around Church Lane and Green Lane, and later around St Mary’s Church, and along Ashton Lane towards Sale town centre. This area is characterised by many fine examples of Victorian and Edwardian villas and semi-detached properties set behind stone and brick boundary walls with extensive tree cover;

  • Sale West is characterised by a variety of residential estates dating from the 1970s. It forms the westernmost edge of Sale and borders the adjacent landscape of Carrington Moss;
  • The A56 Corridor runs through the centre of Sale town centre and forms an important commercial area along its northern section. It is a car dominated environment which would benefit from further greening;
  • The Bridgewater Canal forms a focal point in the town centre and is well used by pedestrians and cyclists with good links to the city centre, parks and other green spaces;
  • The Mersey Corridor provides a major natural green space and recreational route, linking Sale Water Park to Stretford, Chorlton and Didsbury.

Place Specific Design Cues

Context dependent design cues should be taken from the best examples of properties that were built at the time these localities started to develop.

Please refer to the above common house types and the context section of this Code for guidance on how to understand context. Characteristics commonly found in Sale are set out below:

 

Notable buildings and landmarks – consider how these might inform new design.

Built Form, Height, Roofscape – generally two storey with dual pitched roofs.

Local building materials – almost exclusively red brick in stretcher, English Garden Wall or Flemish bond with sandstone detailing, and blue slate or red clay tiled roofs.

Façade composition –generally bay windows at one and two storeys, with vertically proportioned sash windows.

Architectural detailing – particularly prevalent around doorways, windows, bays and eaves. Mock Tudor panelling or planted timber detail and roughcast render to first floor. Recessed windows, doors and open porches.

Boundary treatment – generally low stone or brick walls to road frontages with hedge planting behind.

Streetscape patterns and street structure – consider the urban grain – generally medium sized houses in reasonably generous gardens, with larger buildings on the A56 corridor.

Common Housing Types in Trafford

Whilst their is a predominant red brick Victorian residential vernacular in Trafford, it is clear that their is great variation in the vernacular of the borough.. The forms described in the following pages should be fully considered by designers when addressing their own site.

Victorian Terraces

Victorian terraces are the predominant typology throughout the borough, particularly within Stretford and Old Trafford. They are largely formed in a linear block, creating rigid back-to-back rows of housing.

• Generally Accrington or Cheshire red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond
• Slate roofs
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Panelled doors
• Clipped roof details
• Dentil detailing
• Brick chimneys
• Narrow or no front curtilage
• Buildings set in grid iron streets
• Brick boundaries

Edwardian Terraces

The Edwardian terrace provides a variation on the Victorian form, adding a more ornate form and distinct repetition of bay windows and coupling of entrance thresholds. They are particularly prevalent in Sale, Stretford, parts of Old Trafford and Altrincham.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond.
• Often contrasting brick panelling and banding (buff,  cream and blue commonly)
• Slate roofs
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Sandstone detailing
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Bay windows
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Dentil details
• Buildings set in straight rows
• Elevated ground floor levels above a cellar
• Medium sized front gardens
• Brick boundaries with stone gateposts

Edwardian Semi-Detached

Similarly to the terraced variation, the Edwardian semi-detached provides a more ornate form to the traditional semi-detached property. A coupled bay frontage with tudor detailing is predominant, with well defined entrances.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond.
• Carved brick details
• Rendered panels at upper levels
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Gabled fronts with mock-tudor details
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned windows with decorative fenestration
• Bay windows
• Arched doorways
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Buildings set in straight rows
• Large sized front gardens
• Brick or stone boundaries with stone gateposts

1930’/40’s Semi-Detached

Trafford’s growth can be largely attributed to the suburban growth of Manchester. The vast growth of Sale, Old Trafford, Urmston and the surrounding areas of Altrincham were driven by the development of 1930’s semi-detached properties. This creates a consistent and recognisable form for Trafford.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher bond.
• Terracotta tile or rendered panel details
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Gabled fronts with mock-tudor details
• Timber sills
• Soldier course brick lintels
• Horizontally proportioned windows with decorative fenestration
• Arched doorways
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Buildings set along variety of street patterns
• Large sized front gardens with driveways to the side
• Brick or stone boundaries with brick gateposts

Rural Domestic Style

Trafford’s rural edge marks a clear transition from the suburban edge of Trafford into the Cheshire’s rich agricultural areas.Small clusters of residential properties, generally clustered around village greens or road junctions, form hamlets and villages. Their form is intimate and unassuming, creating welcoming and familiar forms within the open countryside.

• Generally Cheshire red brick in Flemish bond
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Sandstone or brick sills
• Horizontal eyebrow windows often in informal arrangements
• Cottage style doors
• Clipped roof details
• Brick chimneys
• Small or no front curtilage
• Buildings set in clusters and informal groupings.
• Generally set tight against the highway
• Brick, hedge or timber picket boundaries

Villa Houses

As wealth grew in Trafford and the surrounding Cheshire countryside, villas were developed to provide large spaces set within a larger plot. These properties, largely located around Sale and Altrincham, offered larger gardens and a clear boundary (i.e. hedge) form set off the street.

• Generally Accrington red brick stretcher or Flemish bond
• Carved brick and sandstone details (banding, keystones etc)
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Complex roof forms often with gabled fronts
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Bay windows and porch structures
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Decorative and ornate roof details
• Detached or semi-detached
• Buildings set in short rows or gently meandering streets
• Elevated ground floors above cellars
• Large sized front gardens
• Stone boundaries with hedges

Permeable paving options